Woman convicted over major railway station fire
A woman who set fire to Nottingham station causing over £5.5m worth of damage and delays has been convicted.
Gemma Peat of Wilford Crescent, Nottingham, pleaded guilty to arson at Nottingham Crown Court and will be sentenced on Tuesday (13 August).
On 12 January 2018 shortly before 6.30am, a major fire broke out in the female concourse toilets of Nottingham station which took over 100 fire crew 27 hours to bring under control.
It resulted in the closure of the station, several roads and the nearby Tramlink while emergency services responded.
She was arrested by officers on 2 February 2018, following an investigation by British Transport Police detectives.
Peat was arrested again in relation to the incident in January 2019 and charged with one count of arson with Intent. Today, the Prosecution accepted her guilty plea to arson.
The combined cost of damage and disruption to Network Rail and East Midlands trains currently stands at over £5.5m. The figure doesn’t include the impact on other businesses near the station or to the tram and road network.
Detective Sergeant Shanie Erwin said: “This was a long and particularly complex investigation, which was made even more difficult by the fact the CCTV hard drive was very badly damaged in the blaze.
“As a result we spent many months working with specialist forensic teams to recover this essential evidence and present it to the Crown Prosecution Service.
“It has been a long wait for justice for those in Nottingham and I am pleased to see Peat change her plea to guilty today. The damage and disruption that her reckless behaviour has caused to the rail industry and those who use it is simply staggering.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the public for their patience in receiving answers and of course the invaluable support we received from our colleagues at Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue and other industry partners throughout the investigation.”
