An arsonist who rampaged through a neighbourhood, setting fire to cars, Christmas decorations and electricity cabling, has been jailed.
Police first received an abandoned call to Poppy Mews, Hucknall, in which the caller – believed to be Scott Knight – claimed to have been kidnapped and stabbed.
While attending the call, at around 8pm on 4 January 2026, officers spotted flames and smoke coming from the direction of Nottingham Road.
They discovered a car parked on a driveway was on fire, and officers were soon alerted to a number of other blazes in the area.
Five further vehicles, boxes of Christmas decorations left in a garden, a bin and a box containing cabling had all been set on fire.
These included a car belonging to a disabled resident in Nottingham Road who had to be assisted out of the address by neighbours.
Another car was seen by officers reversing off a driveway with its wheel arch on fire.
When officers put one fire out with an extinguisher, they found a bottle containing an unknown liquid, which appeared to be the source of the blaze.
Area searches were conducted by officers, who found 38-year-old Knight in an intoxicated state in nearby Acacia Close and arrested him.
During searches, officers found a lighter in his pockets.
Investigations found the cause of the fires to be deliberate ignition from a naked flame.
Knight, of no fixed abode, was handed an extended jail sentence of nine years at Nottingham Crown Court on Friday (21 August).
The sentence will include six years in jail and a further three years on licence.
He was also given a restraining order which bans him from entering Hucknall for 10 years.
Knight had pleaded guilty to six counts of arson with recklessness as to whether life was endangered and one count of arson.
Passing sentence, Judge Michael Auty told the court it was a ‘miracle’ no one died as a result of Knight’s actions.
Detective Constable Abbie Roberts, of Nottinghamshire Police, said:
“Knight’s actions that evening were unbelievably reckless and put a number of people at risk of serious harm or worse.
“He went from home to home, seemingly at random, setting fire to anything he came across.
“Thankfully, both response officers and firefighters were quickly at the scene and the fires were put out before they spread any further.
“Although no one was seriously injured, the fires have had a significant and lasting impact on the victims.
“One couple’s son has particularly struggled since that evening and still requires counselling.
“His parents say he is not the same little boy as he was before being confronted by these terrifying flames outside his home.
“We were able to track down Knight in the vicinity and arrest him. A very thorough investigation with many hours of detective work then went into securing charges against him.
“I’d like to thank the members of the public who not only helped their neighbours during these incidents but also assisted the investigation by providing CCTV and doorbell camera footage.
“Their help was vital in helping us to secure charges against Knight and resulted in this outcome in court.”
