PC Miles defended this teenagerAN ARSONIST who caused more than £28,000 damage to Wroughton Library has escaped a prison sentence after a community police officer spoke out on his behalf.

The 16-year-old youth, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was given a 12-month referral order and told to pay £35 costs by Swindon magistrates.

The boy, flanked by his parents in court, had pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to setting fire to the library at around 9pm on November 20 last year.

The court heard how the fire had been started accidentally when the teenager flicked a match through the letterbox.

He and his friends had been sheltering from the rain by the library, in the Ellendune Centre, when they started playing with the matches.

Wroughton community beat officer, PC Anthony Miles, took the unusual step of appearing in court to defend the boy.

He said: "This is the first time I have ever felt the desire to come into court and speak on someone's behalf.

"He is not an individual in the village we have ever come across and I don't think we will again. He is not one of the lads who in any way has been involved before."

The court also heard how it was the defendant who called the emergency services when he realised the building was ablaze.

Chairman of the bench Simon Wolfensohn said: "We are not going to send you to custody.

"You know perfectly well how serious this was. It's a very serious thing for the community as a whole in terms of financial value and the emotional cost." But he added: "We accept that there was no deliberate intent.

"You took action as promptly as you could having realised what you had done."

Prosecutor Nicola Wootton said a number of local people relied on the library service but she accepted the youth was of previous good character.

Rob Ross, defending, said the boy was before the court because of his honesty and that if he had not owned up the police would have struggled to find the culprit.

Mr Ross said: "Clearly he had not in any way intended for any damage to be done.

"He has accepted responsibility for something he could have easily evaded.

"He is a well-ordered young man who has done something silly and it has had dire consequences."

Wroughton Library was reopened on December 3, but the damage caused cost £28,164 to repair.

Library staff had to clean soot from nearly 16,000 books after the fire and 13 firefighters attended from Swindon.

David Allen, libraries and heritage manager for Swindon Council, said: "The staff at the library have worked incredibly hard to get the library up and running.

"I'd like to take this opportunity to thank them and the people of Wroughton who rallied behind us."

Gareth Bethell