A TALENTED graffiti artist and street magician has been convicted of starting a huge city centre fire above two shops which cost damage estimated at £320,000.

It took a jury just over an hour to convict Justin Lewis, 23, of Albert Street, Newport, of one count of arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered after a two-day trial.

Newport Crown Court was told he has 38 previous appearances for 75 convictions, including numerous burglary and damage to property offences.

A co-defendant, Sam Price, also 23, of Maendy Way, Cwmbran, admitted the same charge relating to the blaze on Newport’s Upper Dock Street in the early hours of August 24, 2017.

At its peak, 35 firefighters tackled the inferno, which was started on the second floor of a corner building, above a Lifestyle Express store and VapourZest shop.

The two men entered the building on two occasions in the early hours through a broken roller shutter on Skinner Street, which led to the second and third floors.

Price also pleaded guilty to arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered regarding a separate blaze in the city’s Commercial Street a few days later on September 5, 2017.

He also admitted to making threats to kill Sharon Jacobson, her daughter Sky Jacobson and Lewis Kitt on January 22 this year.

The pair are due to be sentenced on August 10 after psychiatric and pre-sentence reports have been prepared. They have both been remanded in custody.

During Lewis’s trial at Newport Crown Court, prosecutor David Pugh showed the jury an 18-minute montage of CCTV footage from different cameras around the city centre and said the duo were “in on it together”.

The material showed Price and a man the crown said was Lewis entering the targeted building twice and leaving with plastic bags, before it caught fire.

Gwent Police had examined the film and produced a still, from which the defendant was recognised by PCSO Bryan Flynn.

The court was told how they became acquainted because the office knew Lewis as a “talented graffiti artist” and magician and were on first name terms.

The defendant, who was represented by Stephen Thomas, claimed he was not the man in the CCTV, citing a case of mistaken identity.

The court heard the damage inside the Lifestyle Express store was such that the owner, who has been unable to trade since, estimated the financial losses could be as high as £320,500.

In a statement read to the court describing the extent of the damage, mainly caused by water used to put out the fire, Muhammad Iqbal said: “This was very upsetting as I was witnessing everything I had worked for and built up since 2014 being taken away from me.”

In the witness box PCSO Flynn described his relationship with the defendant.

“He first came to my attention four or five years ago,” he said.

“Justin Lewis is well known to myself as quite a talented graffiti artist, by the tag of ‘Eneme’. I spoke to him a number of times in relation to my patrols in the city centre.

“He also passes away the time as a magician – he does card tricks.”