Man admits arson at Labour MP's office building
A man has confessed to starting a fire that caused significant damage to a building that was home to Labour MP Sharon Hodgson's constituency office. Just after midnight on Thursday, the fire erupted at Vermont House in Washington, where the Washington and Gateshead South MP is one of a number of tenants. Joshua Oliver, 28, pleaded guilty at Newcastle Magistrates' Court to arson and burglary, but his defence barrister denied it had anything to do with" the MP. Mr Oliver, a man of no fixed address, has been arrested in jail pending sentencing at the city's crown court on October 14th.
Mr Oliver was found sleeping in a tent outside the building, which is in the Concord neighborhood of Washington, near Sunderland, according to the court. The fire shattered the front of the building and damaged the offices of a small charity for people with very rare genetic disorders and an NHS mental health service for veterans, which are both located in the same building. Mr Oliver's defence argued that the arson charge was motivated rather than intentional. The Crown did not accept it on the plea of guilty. On September 10, Mr Oliver pleaded guilty to the theft of a power tool as well as a number of criminal harm charges between July and September.
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