How support workers stopped 'incredibly dangerous' arson attempt at Ipswich centre
Quick-thinking staff at a Museum Street support centre disarmed a woman pouring ethanol across the floor and threatening to "light them all up", police have revealed, as she was jailed for four years.
Why it matters: Suffolk Police say the intervention of workers at the premises "undoubtedly helped prevent" Kerri Keen-Watts, 22, from igniting flammable liquid inside a building occupied by staff and others.
The details: Keen-Watts, of Carr Road, Felixstowe, was sentenced to four years' imprisonment at Ipswich Crown Court on Friday, 8 May, after previously pleading guilty to attempted arson with intent to endanger life and sending a communication threatening death or serious harm.
The incidents took place on Thursday, 30 October last year.
- At around 11:20, Keen-Watts entered a premises in Museum Street by claiming to have an appointment and masking her identity.
- She had previously been banned from the building following an earlier incident, and was recognised and asked to leave.
- She produced a bottle of clear liquid – later found to be ethanol – and began spreading it across the floor while threatening to "light them all up".
- She made multiple unsuccessful attempts to ignite matches before a support worker disarmed her of the matchbox.
- Keen-Watts continued to pour liquid and tried to light a second box of matches before leaving the building.
What happened next: Shortly after leaving Museum Street, Keen-Watts sent text messages to a youth worker based at another location, including: "YOU'RE NEXT", "AND THIS TIME IT'LL WORK", and "COULDN'T LIGHT MATCH AT (other location), THEY PRESSED PANIC ALARM."
Police say she had previously expressed a desire to burn down the building where that person worked, with herself and others inside.
Officers located and arrested Keen-Watts around an hour after the Museum Street incident. She was charged the following day and made her first court appearance on Saturday, 1 November.
What they're saying: Detective Inspector Tristram Singh, of South CID, said: "Kerri Keen-Watts' actions on that day were incredibly dangerous and had she been successful in igniting any of the matches, the consequences could have been very serious.
"The swift actions of the workers at the premises should be commended, as they undoubtedly helped prevent her from completing her attempts to start a fire.
"The fact Keen-Watts then left that location and immediately sent threatening messages to another person at a different building, demonstrates her clear intent to cause harm and distress to multiple people."
What's next: In addition to the prison sentence, Keen-Watts was handed a five-year restraining order. It prohibits her from:
- Entering the road where the centre is located
- Attempting to contact any of the workers affected
- Attending any other buildings used by the support provider without prior agreement
- Possessing any item in a public place capable of starting a fire or producing a naked flame
The bottom line: Without the swift response of support workers who disarmed Keen-Watts and raised the alarm, what police describe as an "incredibly dangerous" attempt to set a building alight with people inside could have ended very differently.
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