Joshua Oliver, 28, pleaded guilty to arson that gutted premises in Washington, Tyne and Wear
A 28-year-old man has admitted to starting a fire that destroyed the constituency office of Labour MP Sharon Hodgson.
Joshua Oliver, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to arson, with the resulting fire wrecking the Washington and Gateshead South MP’s office in the early hours of Thursday.
The guilty plea was entered at Newcastle magistrates court on the basis that it was reckless rather than intentional. The crown did not accept the basis of the plea.
The fire gutted the premises, as well as those of a small charity for people with very rare genetic diseases called Niemann-Pick UK (NPUK). An NHS mental health service for veterans was based in the same building.
