A man with a bizarre addiction to starting fires in rubbish bins in a particular Norfolk town has been jailed for his latest blazes.
Mark Martindale, 40 - who has a long history of arson dating back to 2008 - has baffled the authorities who say the motivation for his offending remains a mystery.
They have found no psychiatric reason for his behaviour, which sees him starting fires in bins in Great Yarmouth, and say he is not a pyromaniac because he does not seem to get any gratification from setting the blazes.
Even after he was banned from the town, he continued to travel 40 miles there to set off new blazes.
In total, he has 18 previous convictions for offences including 37 arson attacks all committed in Yarmouth.
His most recent offences were on April 13, when he set fire to a commercial waste bin near the Market Gates shopping centre and a branch of Ladbrokes.
Drinkers at the nearby Theatre Tavern pub rushed to put out using fire extinguishers.
However he immediately attempted to start another blaze before firefighters arrived.
READ MORE: Arsonist recalled to prison over fires in Great Yarmouth
Norwich Crown Court was told he had been banned from entering Yarmouth as a result of his long arson record.
But despite now living in Dereham he continued to travel to Yarmouth to start fires.
Judge Katharine Moore jailed him for 16 months after he pleaded guilty to arson, attempted arson and breaches of a criminal behaviour order.
She told him: “On any view you have an established and alarming history of arson.”
She said there was no psychiatric reason for his offending but urged prison authorities to carry out further assessments.
Chris Youell, prosecuting, said the motivation for his fire-starting remained a mystery.
“His actions have led to a great deal of damage and cost over the years,” he added.
READ MORE: Arsonist banned from going to Great Yarmouth after shopping centre fire
Martindale was previously jailed for 12 months in June 2023 for another blaze outside the Market Gates centre but was released early on licence.
Rob Pollington, mitigating, said previous attempts to get to the bottom of his behaviour had found he was not a pyromaniac.
Instead he is prone to getting drunk knowing it will lead to another incident that will see him returned to custody, he said.
“We are dealing with an individual who is genuinely struggling,” he added.
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