George Town man jailed for burning down police offices

A George Town man who torched multiple police offices after setting a car ablaze has been sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison.

Rupert Spence, 35, was convicted of two counts of arson, and one count of driving whilst disqualified. He also pleaded guilty to an additional five counts of driving whilst disqualified.

The first charge of arson is in relation to a derelict vehicle which was in the parking lot of the now-demolished Eden Centre, across from the Rubis gas station on Walkers Road, George Town.

According to the sentencing judgment, which was released last week, Spence was recorded on CCTV purchasing gas from the service station, and then driving across to the parking lot, which was poorly lit.

“A figure appeared to exit the vehicle and to go across to where the Complainant’s vehicle was parked,” it said in the judgment. “The figure returned from where it had come and within moments thereafter the Complainant’s vehicle was engulfed in flames.”

The second charge of arson resulted from a fire at Windjammer Plaza, which is also located on Walkers Road. The second floor of the plaza housed the RCIPS Professional Standards Unit, Criminal Records Office and the Firearms Licensing Unit.

“The evidence was circumstantial as to opportunity and conduct,” outlined Justice Cheryll Richards in her judgment. “The plaza is in walking distance of the Defendant’s home. He was seen shortly after the fire began, to be on foot and in a state of undress and sweating.

“Thereafter he was seen on CCTV footage to drive to the Rubis gas station, from which location he made gestures which were suggestive of triumph as fire service unit drove to and from the scene of the fire.”

According to the judgment, fire officers concluded that the fire was not an accident and gas was tossed over furniture and other parts of the office to help spread the blaze.

In addition to the CCTV footage, Spence was connected to the fire by DNA evidence which was recovered at the scene.

The fire at the police offices caused $158,389 in damages. The offices were closed for several months following the blaze and is said to have had ‘significant impact’ on the RCIPS’s ability to provide the services that were offered at that location.

When sentencing Spence, Richards noted his 65 previous convictions starting in 2002 and ranging from assault to possession of a firearm. Richards said she was aware of the mental health issues raised by Spence’s lawyers but noted that a “psychiatric report revealed he understood the gravity of his actions”.

Richards sentenced Spence to six-and-a -half years in prison for the fire at the police offices and one month for the derelict car.

When sentencing Spence on the traffic crimes, she considered his previous 20 traffic convictions – three of which were for driving whilst disqualified. Richards noted that at the time of the most recent charges, Spence was one year into a three-year disqualification sentence.

“[The traffic counts] indicate a repeated and continued disregard for the orders of the Court with respect to the Defendant’s driving,” wrote Richards.

She imposed a collective sentence of one year and four-and-a-half months for all the driving offences. She then ordered that they run concurrent to the arson conviction, and that the time served in custody be deducted from his sentence.

Richards also imposed a five-year driving disqualification on Spence, which will begin upon his release from prison.