A man has set fire to his sister-in-law’s tent after stabbing his partner’s tent with a knife at a campsite in Wensleydale.
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The victim began packing his tent and was about to leave when Jackson, 39, went ‘crazy’ and began ‘cutting’ the inflatable tent from the outside with a knife while screaming, the police said. Solicitor Annie Richardson at York Crown Court.
The tent collapsed on the victim who ‘had to get out of the tent and realized the other tent (belonging to his sister) was on fire,’ Ms Richardson added.
Jackson, a former deep-sea fisherman, threw or kicked a fire bucket at the other tent, which belonged to the victim’s sister and her partner.
The bucket had a fire lit inside.
He also threw a gas canister at the tent, Ms Richardson said.
“Other people at the campsite described seeing a man going crazy and throwing things and screaming,” the lawyer said.
“Victim’s brother-in-law heard Jackson say he didn’t care about them and would kill them all.”
The terrified victim got into a car, but Jackson walked towards the vehicle and threatened to “flatten the tires” while yelling at the victim.
They finally managed to escape and the police were called.
Jackson’s antics during the incident, which lasted around 20 minutes, caused £1,770 in damage to tents and camping gear.
He was arrested later that night in his van and refused a roadside breath test, telling police he would not answer any questions until he spoke to his lawyer.
A knife was seized behind the passenger seat of his vehicle.
He was taken to a local police station and was allegedly verbally aggressive during custody proceedings.
Jackson told officers he got into an argument at the campsite and in anger threw a fire bucket into one of the tents ‘knowing that no one was actually in the tent at the time’ .
He admitted to using his work knife to stab and burst the air tent he jointly owned with his partner.
He said men helped him put out the fire in the other tent and then he drove home in his van.
Jackson was charged with arson, a fight, carrying a knife, criminal damage and failing to provide a breath sample for analysis.
He admitted the offenses and appeared for sentencing today after being remanded in custody.
Ms Richardson said the incident happened around 10 p.m. on June 2 last year, when Jackson and his partner were camping at the site near Leyburn.
She said Jackson and the victim had been in an “on-off” relationship for more than two years and that it was “good most of the time, with its bad times.”
She said Jackson, whose last registered address was Arran Grove Hall Road, Hull, had “lots” of prior convictions, including for violence and public disorder.
Defense attorney Emily Hassell said Jackson, a farmhand who previously worked as a deep-sea fisherman overseas, suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder following the death of his sister in 2018.
She said his life had since “taken a turn” and he had developed a problem with cocaine and alcohol which led to rehab.
She said he had “lost everything” since the incident at the campsite, including his job and his partner whom he loved.
She said Jackson and the victim moved from Hull to York Region in 2020.
Recorder Tahir Khan KC told Jackson that he “lost all his temper” on the night in question while drinking.
“Witnesses describe how you appear to have been very, very aggressive and intimidating and it is clear that (the victim) and others were afraid of the way you behaved,” Mr Khan added.
Jackson was sentenced to 14 months in prison, half of which he will serve behind bars before being released on a prison license.
He was also given a 12-month driving ban.
