Revealed: Face of arsonist who started lethal bin fire that killed West Midlands pensioner and injured three others in 'utterly random' Wednesbury attack
This is the face of an arsonist who travelled to the Black Country from Wales and started a lethal house fire that killed an elderly man.
West Midlands Police has released a photo of Andrew Gorrell, who targeted the house of an elderly couple in the West Midlands in an "utterly random" attack.
Gorrell, aged 54 and of Moss Grove, Saltney, in Flintshire, Wales, had no known links to the Edwards family, their house, or the Wednesbury area when he started the fire that killed 82-year-old John Edwards and injured three members of his family.
The fire was started at Mr Edwards's family home on Holyhead Road in the early hours of May 11 last year.
Mr Edwards, along with his wife Doreen, who was 81 at the time, and their two adult sons, Carl, aged 60, and Mark, aged 57, were all taken to hospital; sadly, John Edwards died of his injuries on May 25.
Gorrell started the fire in a wheelie bin he had moved to block the front door of the property, before it spread to a nearby bush and then the house.
CCTV footage showed Gorrell carrying a carrier bag prior to the blaze and igniting a cigarette butt he had found on the ground.
He could then be seen moving between the front gardens of Mr Edwards's house and a neighbouring property for around 40 minutes.
The footage then showed the man igniting what is believed to have been a lighter while standing between the houses.
Shortly after, out of sight of CCTV coverage, it's believed the wheelie bin was set alight.
Using facial recognition technology, West Midlands Police was able to identify Gorrell as the suspect.
Following the fire, Gorrell walked to a nearby petrol station, where he told the staff members that he was stranded and needed to get back to Wolverhampton Railway Station.
He was arrested at his home address in North Wales, and he was found to be wearing the same jacket he was wearing at the scene.
Gorrell was charged with murder, three counts of attempted murder and arson.
He was also charged with three further counts of arson, after three other bins were set alight in Wednesbury the same morning.
Following a trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court, Gorrell was found guilty of all offences earlier today (February 18).
He is due to be sentenced at a later date.
Detective Inspector Nigel Box, from the West Midlands Police homicide unit, said: "We believe Gorrell was obsessed with fire as we found a stash of fuel and a fire pit in his garden.
“We also discovered that Gorrell moved the wheelie bin to block the front of the door of the house, making it difficult for the occupants to escape.
“His actions and his obsession cost an innocent man his life, as well as seriously injuring others. Our thoughts remain with Mr Edwards’s loved ones."
