A 16-year-old boy has been ordered to pay £61 in costs after setting fire to an Oxfordshire farm in 2021, which caused around £1 million worth of damage.
The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, set fire to an outbuilding on a farm at Acre Hill, Freeland Road in Eynsham in October 2021.
The incident caused significant disruption in the area, cattle had to be evacuated, and the fire was attended by a large number of fire service personnel and police.
The farmer, owned by a man aged in his seventies, was not injured and all the livestock survived.
However, the victim lost not only a vast amount of machinery and farm equipment, but his livelihood was also badly affected by the attack.
The boy pleaded guilty to the offence at Oxford Youth Court on Wednesday 1 February, a year and a half on since the attack happened.
He was given a four-month youth referral order and ordered to pay £61 in costs.
Investigating officer PC Cory Fastnedge, of Thames Valley Police, said the incident caused "untold damage to the farm building".
He added that the farmer "suffered immeasurable loss as a result of this boy’s reckless actions".
“The case was sent to the CPS at the end of May 2022 following an extensive review by the TVP Youth Justice Unit," PC Fastnedge said.
“The CPS deemed this suitable for an out of course disposal; however following youth justice multi-agency decision making, it was agreed that this was not suitable due to the nature of the offence, the value of the damage, and the devastating effect that this had on the victim.
“This caused delays in getting the case to court while further interviews and extensive reviews were carried out."
The officer added that the incident happened due to an "extremely reckless act" by the defendant that caused extensive damage.
“He can count himself very fortunate not to have received a more significant sentence," PC Fastnedge said.
"But we respect the judgement and hope that the boy can learn from his reckless actions and ensure there is no repeat in the future.
“Tackling rural crime will remain a top priority of Thames Valley Police and we will not hesitate in bringing charges to court.”
The cost of farm fires surged past £95 million last year, with arson attacks a growing cause for concern, according to NFU Mutual figures.
Large-scale farm arson attacks surged from £4.7 million in 2020 to £8.4 million in 2021, the insurer's claims statistics showed.
Andy Manson, head of risk management services at NFU Mutual, called on farmers to put fire prevention and control plans in place, such as regularly reviewing their fire risk assessment and acting on the findings.
“Farm fires put lives at risk, as well as cause disruptive and devastating damages to farm businesses," Mr Manson said.
“Most fires are preventable by carrying out routine maintenance and inspection on heating systems, electrical installations and machinery, and controlling hot works within farm workshops, etc.
“Implementing and maintaining good standards of housekeeping, particularly around the storage of combustibles and flammables such as hay, straw and fuels, will also reduce the risk of a fire spreading.”
