Arson case aborted as defendant tried to take trousers down

Metkel Gebremeskel has previously admitted arson and being reckless as to whether life was endangered after he torched a mattress at his flat in Balderston Court, off Calvert Street, Norwich causing more than £8k worth of damage, a few days before another fire.

The 28-year-old, originally from Eritrea in Africa, who has been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, appeared for sentence at Norwich Crown Court on Thursday (August 31) but the hearing had to be aborted due to him having a "mental health crisis" in the dock.

Norwich Crown Court (Image: Peter Walsh, Newsquest)

Gebremeskel, who continually shouted out things like "hellfire", "Mr hellfire" and "You White House Washington" during the hearing, was led back down to the cells when he started to pull up his top and tried to take his trousers down.

As the security guard grappled with Gebremeskel he told the defendant: "Pull your trousers up".

The case had previously been adjourned from an earlier hearing in May to allow for a pre-sentence report to be carried out.

Ian James, mitigating, told the court that due to the prison not having his country of origin properly recorded he believed he had been "kidnapped" and was being held "unlawfully".

After he was taken down to the cells, Recorder Michael Turner said the defendant had been "having a mental health crisis" adding "it would be inappropriate to sentence him today".

He adjourned sentence until December 11 and ordered a full psychiatric report be carried out with a number of options to be looked at, including a hospital order.

Balderston Court, Norwich (Image: Peter Walsh, Newsquest)

As previously reported a block of flats had to be evacuated after Gebremeskel set fire to his bedding and left the property shortly before 6pm on October 22 last year.

One neighbour reported hearing an "explosion" but no one was hurt in the blaze which resulted in £8,397 worth of damage.