Accidental Arson: A Legal Perspective

You can burn down a building while robbing it and get away with the arson charge.

A guy named McCue broke into a caravan to steal some booze. He lit a lighter to see in the dark,

but it malfunctioned and burned his hand, so he dropped it. The carpet caught fire,

and instead of putting it out, he just ran away. The caravan was completely destroyed.

Originally, he was convicted because he didn't try to stop the fire.

But the High Court actually overturned it. They ruled that since dropping the

lighter was a genuine accident, he didn't have the criminal intent to start the fire.

Walking away makes you a jerk, but legally, it doesn't make you an arsonist.