Man jailed for vodka fire attack

A 19-year-old man who threw vodka in the face of a teenage girl before setting light to her was jailed indefinitely today.

Jailing Jake Johnson for a minimum term of nearly four years, Judge Michael Heath described the attack on 15-year-old Nicolle Sizer as "wicked and heinous".

Lincoln Crown Court heard that Johnson, of no fixed abode, was in the back of a Transit van in Brandy Wharf, near Lincoln, in August last year when Miss Sizer teased him about a previous conviction.

In response, he threw the 95% proof vodka in her face before using a lighter to set fire to her, the court heard.

Judge Heath said: "It is plain that what you did has had a profound effect, physically and emotionally."

Speaking after the sentence was passed, Detective Sergeant Pete Grayson said: "As horrendous as it is, this case sends out a vital message to our county that such acts of mindless violence will not be tolerated.

"The victim has begun the long process of recovery, but the repercussions of Jake Johnson's actions will remain with her.

"Our thoughts are with the victim and her family. We hope that today's sentence will bring them some reassurance and allow them to begin to look towards their future."

Johnson admitted one count of grievous bodily harm at a previous hearing.