Woman obsessed with fire after saving her family from blaze is jailed for 27 years after becoming a serial arsonist and killing OAP
Karen Pedley had a 'fascination with fire' which began as a child when she saved her relatives
A CARER who became obsessed with fire after saving her family from a blaze was today jailed for 27 years after becoming a serial arsonist and killing a woman aged 96.
Karen Pedley, 43, was hailed for her heroics in rescuing her relatives and won a trip on Concorde in recognition of her bravery.
But the 43-year-old had a 'fascination with fire' which began as a child when she saved her family from a blaze.
She was convicted of murdering the elderly resident and found guilty by a jury of a total of 12 counts of arson with intent to endanger life, arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered and arson.
Pedley, who refused to attend Truro Crown Court for her trial, was cleared of one count of attempted murder of another resident Olive Ray in the same fatal blaze in 2008.
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Mr Justice Teare told the court:"It was totally remarkable that she continued to commit arson even after Gladys had lost her life."
He said given the length of time Pedley spent committing arson "the public needs the protection which imprisonment of life can give".
The court was told psychiatric reports showed Pedley was of 'low intelligence and has a personality disorder'.
Gladys Rowe, 96, died in a fire at her bedroom at the Rosewyn House residential home in Truro, Cornwall, in 2008.
The Crown said Pedley had been 'laughing and dancing with the two women earlier' before setting fire with a lighter to the curtains in their room.
The jury had been told Pedley, who came from Carharrack, Cornwall, had won a trip on Concorde after rescuing her family from a house blaze - but then went on to carry out a 'systematic string' of arson attacks.
She had denied a dozen such attacks in Cornwall between 2002 and 2010 - including two at Rosewyn.
Among the other fires she set were at her own sister's home and a neighbour's address.
Prosecutor Nigel Lickley said most of the fires were at her workplaces and some were set as a 'reaction to apparent criticism'.
He said he was just ten years old when she saved her own family from the flames.
Mr Lickley said:"It appears that her fascination with fire started then.
"She became adept at fire starting."
He said he used her;cunning and skill' to commit the arson attacks. In one case a colleague was forced to lie to investigators under threat of having her own home burned down, he said.
She started the blaze in Mrs Rowe's bedroom at the care home. She died a few days later.
Pedley worked at the home as a care assistant and cleaner.
She also set fires in a nursing home in St Day, three fires in the bedrooms of elderly men at a Falmouth Seafarers centre, three at the Carharrack social club and local shop.
Her defence barrister Simon Laws QC had tried to persuade the jury that Pedley was guilty of manslaughter rather than murder.
A majority of 10-2 jurors rejected that and Mr Laws accepted on the other arson counts:"Your common sense tells you that one person can't be so unlucky as to be on the scene of all these fires."
The jury had been told that a police search if Pedley's home uncovered a photo album of newspaper cuttings and pictures.
It showed Pedley being praised when she was just ten for saving numerous family members from their home which caught fire in 1983 - and the Crown said this was when she became fascinated with fire.
Sentencing her at Truro Crown Court this morning Mr Justice Nigel Teare said: "The life sentences are necessary for the protection of the public.
"The remarkable aspect is that Pedley continued to offend even after she committed the arson that claimed the life of Gladys Rowe.
"She had a history of starting fires where people live.
"The murder had several aggravating factors - the use of fire as a weapon, the significant premeditation as arson had been in Karen Pedley's mind ever since she started work at Rosewyn.
"There was also the fact the victim was a frail elderly lady, that Pedley was employed as a carer so the crime represents a breach of trust and the crime also endangered the life of another resident Olive Ray, and other residents and staff. Finally the fact she blamed others for the fire initially saying it was caused by an electrical fault."
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