A MAN with a grievance against the police chose to take revenge by starting a fire in public toilets at a town’s bus station.

Oliver Turiccki was aggrieved that no action appeared to have been taken over a complaint of vandalism at his flat, made to police some time earlier.

Durham Crown Court heard that In frustration he went to the toilet block, in a council-owned building, in Saddler Street, Bishop Auckland, and set alight toilet paper doused with lighter fluid.

Uzma Khan, prosecuting, said Turiccki placed the burning paper into a wheelie bin in the corner of a cubicle.

He locked the toilet door behind him as he left.

Miss Khan said Turiccki left the area but returned about an hour later to watch as the fire brigade worked at the scene to tackle the blaze.

It was initially thought to have been an accident, possibly caused by a carelessly discarded cigarette, but that evening the defendant handed himself in at the town police station, admitting starting the fire.

He conceded he had not been aware of the full risks of his actions, but accepted returning to the scene.

Miss Khan said the overall damage caused in the blaze has been put at £6,550, including the cost of the clean-up, replacing locks and other fixtures and fittings.

The toilets were also put out of public use for several weeks causing an inconvenience to the travelling public and a loss to the public purse.

Turiccki, 23, of Railway Street, Dunston, Gateshead, admitted a single count of arson, arising from the fire, on March 5, 2018.

Tony Cornberg, mitigating, said the defendant was on medication for ADHD and acted out of character, committing a “completely unsophisticated” crime.

He said that Turiccki has no fireraising fixation and only returned to the station after seeing the fire engines.

Mr Cornberg added that had he not handed himself in, Turiccki may have evaded discovery.

Imposing an 18-month prison sentence, Judge James Adkin told Turiccki his actions appeared to have been, “motivated by revenge.”

The judge said: “It was a rather odd form of revenge. You were upset about the police not responding to your complaint in what you thought was a timely way, so you took it out on the public by setting this fire.”

He said a psychiatric report discounted any significant psychiatric issue suffered by the defendant that may have played a part in the case.