AN ARSONIST who set a fire at a Herefordshire station has been handed a suspended prison sentence.

Alex David Sheen admitted one count of failing to comply with the requirements of a community order when he appeared before magistrates in Kidderminster in November.

The court heard from the probation service that the 32-year-old had been made subject to a community order by magistrates in Telford in August 2022 after he was convicted of committing arson at Leominster railway station, damaging station property by fire on November 5, 2021.

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But, magistrates were told, Sheen had failed to attend supervision appointments on April 20 and 27 and had failed to provide acceptable evidence to cover his absence within five working days.

Magistrates said the offence was serious as Sheen had demonstrated a wilful and persistent failure to comply with the requirements of a community order.

The community order was revoked and Sheen, of Rock Terrace, Ludlow, was handed a six-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, with magistrates saying they had suspended the sentence to allow him to keep working and as he has not offended since.

He was also made subject to a four-month curfew with electronic monitoring and ordered to pay prosecution costs of £60.