Teenager admits setting bus ablaze in Bradford

A teenage male has confessed to igniting a double-decker bus in Bradford city centre during 2023. The 16-year-old individual, whose identity is legally protected, entered a guilty plea to a charge of arson with recklessness as to endanger life at a youth court session held on November 25. He acknowledged igniting a Ribena carton and subsequently leaving it on the bus’s upper deck. The sentencing for the boy is scheduled to take place at Bradford Crown Court on December 23. Court proceedings included the presentation of CCTV footage, which demonstrated that the fire originated on the bus’s top deck while passengers remained inside. Fazaila Kauser, the boy’s defence solicitor, stated that he acknowledges the Ribena carton “started to bubble” and “he accepts that’s what started the fire”. “He didn’t realise it was that serious at that point,” she commented. The court was informed that the boy possesses a history of good character and no prior convictions. Shamaila Quereshi, representing the prosecution, reported that the fire caused “significant damage” amounting to £128,500 for First Bus. Additionally, the court heard that the blaze inflicted damage upon a nearby bus stop. Magistrate Richard Quayle informed the teenager that the offense he confessed to was of such gravity that sentencing would be required at a crown court.