Man jailed for arson incidents in Port Clarence
Dwayne Davis, of Laurel Road, was part of a group that ignited the yard on Hope Street causing damage to four vans, a forklift truck, one bus and a storage unit.
A man involved in deliberately torching scrap yard in Port Clarence is now behind bars.
Dwayne Davis, of Laurel Road, was part of a group that ignited the yard on Hope Street causing damage to four vans, a forklift truck, one bus and a storage unit.
Afterwards, Davis drove the group to Raleigh Road where he stood and watched a caravan be set alight.
The 29-year-old was identified from CCTV footage through his clothing and trainers.
On Monday 20 April Davis appeared at Teesside Crown Court where he was sentenced to 10 years and five months for two counts of arson. He pleaded not guilty to both offences at an earlier hearing and was convicted during a trial.
Shortly before 12.30am on Monday 2 June 2025 an on-duty officer spotted the flames at the scrap yard and reported it to Cleveland Police and Cleveland Fire Brigade.
It was quickly established that the fires had been ignited deliberately inside the vehicles as well as around various locations in the yard.
An investigation began by detectives in Stockton to find out who was responsible.
This involved reviewing CCTV footage that captured a grey car travelling along Norton Avenue and onto Raleigh Road – the driver of the vehicle was Davis.
Davis could be identified from a small white patch on the pocket of his trousers and white lines on the sides of his trainers.
The court heard how footage captured an individual putting their hand through the back windscreen of a car that had the glass removed and pulling out a green container.
Approximately 20 seconds later it is on fire. Davis – who had been stood watching – then gets back into the vehicle and drives away.
In the early hours of Monday 2 June Davis was arrested at a petrol station on Durham Road. After being taken to custody for interview, he replied no comment to the questions asked by detectives.
Investigating officer Detective Inspector Sarah Beadle said: “Our investigation quickly identified Davis as the driver of the vehicle that travelled to the scrap yard and Raleigh Road to assist others in setting the caravan and the scrap yard alight.
“This was through the CCTV footage that we obtained and reviewed. Davis was identifiable through the clothing he was wearing at the time of the arson, and he could also be seen entering his property in the same clothes.
“Despite the evidence against Davis, he refused to admit to what he had done however a jury saw through his lies and he will now face the consequences by spending time behind bars.”