Overview
- Jurors heard that the wheelie bin was moved to the Edwards family’s front door before being set alight, with a neighbour calling 999 at 3:06am and the first fire engine arriving at 3:14am.
- John Edwards, 82, died in hospital on May 25, 2025, while his wife Doreen, 81, and their sons Carl, 60, and Mark, 57, were rescued with serious injuries.
- The Crown says Gorrell travelled from Saltney, Flintshire, to Wednesbury with no known connection to the family or area, characterizing the attack as random.
- CCTV showed Gorrell at a Wolverhampton tram stop around 12:40am, in Wednesbury shortly before 1am, and later at an Esso station, with police identifying him by a Chicago Bulls jacket and a ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’ T‑shirt recovered by officers.
- Fire investigators ruled out accidental causes, and Gorrell has also admitted three separate bin fires set in Wednesbury later that morning.