A MAN who set fire to two buildings in Newport city centre last summer - and later told a judge “I like fire. I ain’t going to stop” - has been jailed for eight years.

Sam Price, 23, of Maendy Way, Cwmbran, set fire to 17-18 Upper Dock Street in the early hours of August 24 last year with another man, Justin Lewis, also 23.

And 12 days later Price, acting alone, set fire to a shop at 170 Commercial Street.

He later told police he had been in the city centre and “bored”, and hoped the fire would be “better than the previous one”, prosecuting counsel David Pugh told a sentencing hearing at Newport Crown Court.

In the latter incident, Price had been aware there were occupied flats above the shop, and watched as people were evacuated.

But he was upset that the fire service arrived and tackled the blaze.

Price also pleaded guilty to three charges of making threats to kill.

These arose from a conversation with a probation officer in January this year, during which he said he felt that the three people he lived with - his partner, her teenage daughter, and another man - did not value him, and he imagined stabbing them and setting fire to them.

He reiterated that, and later told police that if he was allowed to go home he would tie his partner and her daughter to a chair and set fire to them.

The Upper Dock Street fire, started on an upper floor, caused £100,000 damage to a ground floor foodstore, the owner of which lost £25,000 worth of stock and hundreds of thousands of pounds in revenue.

The neighbouring Windsor Castle pub had to be closed for more than three months for repairs caused by water damage.

Mr Pugh said Price and Lewis had entered through a side door behind broken roller shutters. They were captured on CCTV entering and leaving twice in the early hours of August 24 2017.

The second time, Price later admitted, had been to set fire to the building to destroy evidence from their first visit.

Price pleaded guilty to two counts of arson, being reckless as to whether life was endangered, and three counts of making threats to kill.

Price told Judge Daniel Williams at a hearing earlier this year: “I like fire. I ain’t going to stop.” He also reiterated his threats to kill, saying: “I’m going to kill them. This is a promise.”

Defence counsel Harry Baker, for Price, offered no mitigation other than Price’s early guilty plea and the evidence of pre-sentence reports.

Lewis was found guilty after a trial earlier this summer, of one charge of arson, being reckless as to whether life was endangered.

Defence counsel Steve Thomas said Lewis was not the leading player in the Upper Dock Street arson, and pre-sentence reports indicate that he is a vulnerable person.

He added that Lewis indulged in criminal activity to seek acceptance in his “peer group”.

Judge Williams noted that a pre-sentence report indicated that Price was excited by fire, and the Upper Dock Street blaze had “brought a smile to your face”.

“Your risk of reoffending is very high. You pose a very high risk of causing serious harm to others,” said Judge Williams.

He noted too that Lewis’ risk of reoffending is “very high” and he poses a medium risk of causing serious harm to others.

He sentenced Price to eight years in prison for each arson, to run concurrently, and to two years for each threat to kill, also to run concurrently, a total of eight years.

He extended the licence period for the arson charges for an extra four years, and warned Price that he must serve at least two-thirds of the eight-year sentence before being considered for release.

Lewis was sentenced to six years in prison for the arson.