An 'evil' arsonist who wore a 'Nightmare on Elm Street' top while setting fire to a family home in Wednesbury has been jailed for life, with a minimum term of 25 years. Andrew Gorrell, 55, travelled over 70 miles from his home in Saltney, Flintshire, to the Black Country before starting the 'utterly random' blaze that killed 82-year-old John Edwards.
Attack on sleeping family
In the early hours of May 11, 2025, Gorrell set fire to a wheelie bin and deliberately moved it to block the front door of a terraced house on Monway Buildings, Holyhead Road. Inside were John Edwards, his wife Doreen, and their adult sons Carl and Mark. The family were rushed to hospital, but John's injuries were so severe that he died two weeks later.
Gorrell had no links to the area and did not know his victims, leaving detectives unable to establish a motive. Police noted that he was wearing a top with the words 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' – a horror film where the main character, Freddy Krueger, is burnt alive.
Conviction and sentencing
Gorrell denied murder, two counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent (relating to Doreen and Mark), and one count of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent (relating to Carl). He also denied arson with intent to endanger life but admitted an alternative count of arson being reckless. Following a trial, he was unanimously convicted of all charges in February after jurors deliberated for three hours and 27 minutes.
He had admitted an alternative charge of manslaughter before the trial, but the plea was not accepted by the Crown. He also pleaded guilty to three counts of arson for separate bin fires he set in Wednesbury after the fatal house fire – near the Lord Nelson pub, outside Amigos Pizza, and in The Shambles.
Judge's remarks
Sentencing at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Monday, August 6, Judge Michael Chambers KC said: 'For anyone to wake up in the night to find their home is on fire is a living nightmare, but to find that it has been done deliberately is a horrendous crime.' The judge added: 'I'm not satisfied that there is much remorse or regret in relation to what happened. It was clearly an evil and random crime, the reasons for which are not clear.'
Judge Chambers noted that Gorrell has an 'interest in fires' but said there was 'insufficient evidence' to prove he intended to cause really serious harm or death when he left his home. 'It simply cannot be said that this was premeditated or planned. It is bizarre but very serious,' the judge said. However, he added: 'On setting the fire, you must have known that it was likely that the occupants of the house would be at home and to be asleep, this being the early hours of the morning.'
Impact on victims
Prosecutor Rachel Brand KC said 'all the evidence points to the lighting of the fire being an impulsive act'. She added: 'His behaviour later in the morning, when he set fires to bins in the town centre, are clearly impulsive acts.' The court heard that Gorrell, who suffers from alcohol dependence syndrome, had previous convictions for arson dating back to 1990. Judge Chambers described him as a 'highly dangerous individual' but said it was for the Parole Board to assess his risk to the public.
Michael Duck KC, defending, said Gorrell wanted to apologise to the Edwards family. 'Tragically, in recent years, it seems that alcohol has taken its toll,' Duck said. 'This was a spontaneous act, in any view.'
Details of the fire
During the trial, a fire investigation ruled out any accidental cause. The fire was started by the 'ignition of the contents of the wheelie bin'. Brand told the court: 'He set a fire in the middle of the night when people were asleep. He moved the wheelie bin and deliberately positioned it outside the front door where it would not only cause the fire to spread to the house but it would also block the exit of anyone inside the house. He did not alert anyone to the fire. What he did was walk away, leaving the fire to spread and engulf the front of the house with the inevitable consequence, we say, that the people inside would be seriously injured.'
The trial heard how Carl, then 60, managed to 'clamber' out of a window before firefighters rescued Doreen, then 81, and his brother Mark, then 57. Gorrell was jailed for life with a minimum of 25 years.
