Jury retires to consider verdicts in Wednesbury house fire murder trial
A jury has retired to consider its verdicts in the case of a man accused of murdering a pensioner in a Wednesbury house fire.
Andrew Gorrell, 54, was wearing a T-shirt featuring Nightmare On Elm Street, a horror film in which the central character was burned alive, when he set a fire outside the Wednesbury home of John and Doreen Edwards in the early hours of May 11 last year, a trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court was told.
The fire, which was started in a wheelie bin that had allegedly been moved to block the front door of the property in Holyhead Road, “engulfed” the home and left 82-year-old Mr Edwards with severe injuries which he died from in hospital on May 25.
Mrs Edwards, who was 81 at the time, and their two adult sons Carl, 60, and Mark Edwards, 57, who were both staying the night at their parents’ home, were all injured and taken to hospital.
Gorrell, from Saltney in Flintshire, Wales, had no known links to the Edwards family, their house or the Wednesbury area, prosecution counsel Rachel Brand KC told a jury of six men and six women.
She told the court Gorrell knew what he was doing when he set the fire and was “capable of thinking through the consequences of his actions”.
The defendant opted not to give evidence in his defence during the trial, but his defence barrister Michael Duck KC argued Gorrell’s actions had the hallmarks of “chaotic behaviour” by someone who was extremely drunk.
Gorrell admits manslaughter but denies murder.
Mr Duck said his client’s guilty plea to manslaughter meant he had acknowledged he was responsible for ending the life of Mr Edwards.
Gorrell also denies causing grievous bodily harm with intent to Doreen and Mark Edwards and attempting to causing grievous bodily harm with intent to Carl Edwards.
He denies arson with intent to endanger life but has admitted an alternative charge of arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered.
The jury retired to consider their verdicts on Wednesday morning.
The Recorder of Wolverhampton, Judge Michael Chambers KC, told them to strive to reach unanimous verdicts.
“Put out of your mind all thoughts of majority verdicts,” the judge said.
He also said the jury should feel under no pressure of time during its deliberations, adding: “You should take whatever time you require.”
