A MAN has appeared in court charged in connection with a series of arson attacks in the Stanley area last weekend.
Andrew Derbyshire, 21, of Cheviot Terrace, Stanley, appeared before magistrates in Peterlee this morning.
He is charged with two cases of arson with intent to endanger life following fires at Joicey Gardens and Reynolds Close on February 14.
He is also accused of attempted arson with intent to endanger life, another property in Joicey Gardens and also one in Byron Close, and an arson on a car parked in Joicey Gardens.
Mr Derbyshire is facing a sixth charge of arson in relation to a fire at Burnside Primary School in Stanley on February 10.
He was remanded into custody and is due to appear at Durham Crown Court on March 9.
Most of the charges are connected to a number of fires started in the Poets Estate area of the town last Saturday, February 14.
An 84-year-old woman was taken to hospital as a result of one of the fires. She has now been released from hospital and is now recovering with relatives.
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