A TRIAL date has been set for a man accused of arson following a house fire in Andover.
As previously reported, Aston Corri Stiles, 32, of Spring Mews, Andover, was charged with arson with intent to endanger life and arson with recklessness as to whether life was endangered following a house fire at his address on Tuesday, February 6.
Stiles was due to attend a plea hearing on Thursday, March 7, at Winchester Crown Court via video link. However, he did not appear.
READ MORE: Andover man accused of arson after house fire killed his pets appears in court
A provisional trial date of Tuesday, August 6 has been set.
Defending, Graham Gilbert told the court that a psychiatric report is yet to be prepared and that Stiles may be unfit to plea.
Another hearing is set for Friday, April 26 - the psychiatric report is expected to have been prepared by that time.
Firefighters and police officers were called to a house fire at a property in Spring Mews at approximately 10pm on Tuesday, February 6.
The property's ground and first floors were alight, with the fire spreading across three adjoining properties.
All residents were safely evacuated, with one person passed into the care of the ambulance for treatment for smoke inhalation, and a snake rescued from the property and taken into the care of a local vet.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article