A Bracknell man has been jailed after setting fire to a store that he was barred from for shoplifting.

Russell Benn, of Ogden Park, scorched the front of Stop and Shop in a “revenge attack” at 3am one night in June 2021.

The 62-year-old also threw the contents of a food waste bin at the shopfront after screaming “I hate you, I’m going to kill you” at the owners.

Reading Crown Court heard how Benn’s dangerous rage culminated in a fire after he poured accelerant liquid onto a box of shredded paper and lit it.

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Fortunately, a passerby quickly put out the fire with a bottle of water and the only damage were scorch marks.

It was heard that Benn used to be a regular customer of the Ralphs Ride store but he was barred by the owner after he started causing issues with other customers.

Benn was allowed back into the store but was then banned once again after shoplifting.

Prosecutor Katie Doherty said: “The court may consider this was a revenge attack driven by issues between Mr Benn and the owner.”

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Benn was promptly arrested the same morning but denied his involvement in the incident, even after police matched his clothes in CCTV footage.

But he told officers: “A lot of people in the area wear the same clothes.”

The Bracknell man continued to deny the allegations and the case went to trial, where Benn was convicted of arson.

Defending for Benn, barrister Edward Seller told His Honour Judge Smith that the defendant suffered from bipolar disorder.

However, Judge Smith said it was “speculative” to suggest Benn’s bipolar reduced his culpablity for the offence.

He continued: “A lot of people are bipolar but not many of them set fires to shops.”

Judge Smith sentenced Benn to 11 months behind bars for arson at Reading Crown Court on Friday, February 4.