Criminal offered money to set fire to car and house – The Pembrokeshire Herald

A west Wales man who offered hundreds of pounds for an arson attack to be carried out in his name has been jailed for 11 years and given a 20-year protection order to protect the victim.

Michael Arundel, of Tycroes, Carmarthenshire, was convicted of using the Telegram app to send messages to an audience of more than 1,000 people calling for a car and a house to be set on fire in February and April this year.

When he was arrested by Dyfed-Powys Police he was in possession of cocaine worth up to £62,500.

The 34-year-old man from Mynyddbach came to the attention of police following a car fire in his street on February 28, 2024.

Witnesses reported seeing a man throw something at the black Audi before it immediately exploded and the suspect fled. When the car’s owner followed him, he recognized the suspect as being connected to Arundel.

Arundel was later found to have sent messages inciting arson using the Telegram app. Upon examining his phone, police found the following messages dated February 28:

• 7:07pm: “Anyone want to make money? A car has been set on fire in Ammanford. Don’t waste my time, I want it ASAP.”
• 7:09 p.m.: “1^st “If anyone comes outside to set fire to the Audi, I will personally come and give you £200 in cash.”
• 7.10pm: “If you’re not available tonight, don’t stress. I’ll pay you £200 tomorrow night to do the windows in the house. I don’t do things by halves and I don’t do things by halves.”

He then threatened that if anyone accepted the offer but did not commit the crime, he would “focus his attention” on their house, before increasing his payment to £300.

Following the incident, police began monitoring the Telegram app, with their attention drawn to similar messages posted on April 26.

• 7:02 p.m.: “We need to set fire to a house. Cash ready… in the Tycroes district. A nice sum of money for the job.”
• 7:03 p.m.: Photos of bags of money
• 8:16pm: “The money has been paid… the last job is done. Look what’s happening tonight (two laughing emojis)
• 8:17 p.m. a series of emojis representing three houses, three fires, three cars and three fires

Due to the high risk of threats, Dyfed-Powys Police have deployed two double-crewed vehicles to the area.

Another message was sent in response to the police presence:

• 8:23pm: The feds are everywhere (two laughing emojis). Those police vans aren’t going to be here all night… as soon as they leave, it’s going to happen, trust me! If they wait all night… it’s going to happen tomorrow. We can’t delay the inevitable!! It’s 100% happening

Despite Arundel’s confidence, the attack was prevented by a rapid police response and a heightened presence of officers in the area.

Three days later, police officers on patrol in Llanelli spotted Arundel and, knowing he was wanted for questioning, pulled up alongside him in their car. Realising they were police officers, Arundel fled along Marble Hall Road, refusing to stop when asked to do so.

As he ran, he tried to pull a plastic bag out of his pocket with the intention of throwing it, and he fell. The police caught up with Arundel and managed to subdue him.

They recovered the plastic bag which contained a white stone, later identified as a half-kilo block of cocaine with a street value of up to £62,500, and also found a digital scale in Arundel’s pocket.

He was arrested on suspicion of possession of a class A drug with intent to supply and conspiracy to commit arson.

Arundel was found to have booked a room at a hotel in Llanelli, where a phone was seized. Officers searched his home, seizing two phones, as well as his work address where they seized a phone, laptop, police fleece and vest, scales and a clear bag with traces of white powder. Cannabis herb and an air rifle were also confiscated from a garage.

Further investigations into the Telegram account used by Arundel revealed evidence of the supply of cocaine, cannabis, ketamine and MDMA between August 2023 and April 2024.

He was eventually charged with five counts of supplying Class A drugs and two counts of incitement to commit arson in the Ammanford area, pleading guilty to all charges thanks to the strength of the police evidence against him.

On Friday, July 5, Arundel appeared at Swansea Crown Court, where he was sentenced to a total of 11 years in prison. He was also given a 20-year protection order to protect the arson victim.

Chief Inspector Rich Lewis said: “We are very pleased with the sentence handed down to Arundel today. This was a thorough investigation in unusual circumstances, as the defendant was encouraging others to commit crimes in his name.

“The strength of the evidence gathered was such that Arundel admitted to all seven crimes, although he clearly believed he could get away with it if someone else committed the arson.

“These incidents could have had serious consequences, and it is very fortunate that no one was injured by Arundel’s reckless behaviour.”