Sacked admin worker sets fire to office - twice

Rose Marie Fenwick was sentenced for two counts of arson and one count of criminal damage. Picture / Getty Images

A woman who was sacked from her admin job set fire to her office twice in an act of revenge.

Rose Marie Fenwick, 64, was fired from her job as an administrator at a London property firm in 2016.

She had been in the role for six years, and around three months after she was sacked she set fire to the company in the middle of the night after pushing newspaper doused in a liquid accelerant through the mailbox.

In March 2017 she superglued the locks on the building's front door after hours.

And on Christmas Day 2017, she started a second fire in the firm's Estates and Management building.

A security guard received minor burns in the blaze as he tried to flee through the building's only exit.

She was eventually caught after being identified in CCTV footage from the office which picked up her distinctive coat and walking style.

According to The Independent, Fenwick was imprisoned for 20 months for her crimes.

She was sentenced for two counts of arson and one count of criminal damage at Harrow Crown Court after pleading guilty earlier this week.

"Fenwick's personal vendetta against her former employer led to her committing offences that not only caused a nuisance but also instilled a sense of fear among staff who became concerned about their safety at work," senior prosecutor Cynthia Caiquo said.

"Fenwick was identified using CCTV footage, which included her distinctive walking style and the jacket she was wearing, which was seized by police after a search of her home.

"The strong prosecution case against Fenwick meant that she had no choice but to plead guilty."

Caiquo said the court had also made an order restraining Fenwick from going anywhere near her former workplace.

"I hope this conviction and sentence gives employers the confidence they need to report crimes against them," she said.