Man who set fire to Tory MP’s shed says attack was not ‘politically motivated’
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A 42-year-old man has admitted setting fire to a shed belonging to Mike Freer, the Conservative MP.
Paul Harwood was charged over a fire last Christmas Eve at the MP’s constituency office in Ballards Lane, north Finchley, north London.
Mr Harwood said the arson attack was “not in any way politically motivated or targeted” while his co-defendant denied the charges entirely.
He was also charged over another arson on a bin at the rear of a property in Long Lane, Finchley, on the same night.
Mr Freer announced that he would be stepping down as an MP at the next general election amid concerns for his safety, shortly after the incident, which he described as “the final straw”.
He was first elected as MP for Finchley and Golders Green in May 2010.
On Tuesday, Mr Harwood appeared at the Old Bailey via video link and pleaded guilty to two charges of arson.
The charge relating to the MP stated that on December 24 2023 he “damaged by fire to a shed ... belonging to Mike Freer intending to damage such property or being reckless as to whether such property would be damaged and being reckless as to whether life to others would be endangered”.
The other charge stated that he without “lawful excuse… damaged by fire a bin belonging to another… intending to damage such property or being reckless as to whether property was damaged”.
Tim Williams, Harwood’s barrister, said that the offences were “not in any way politically motivated or targeted”.
A second defendant, Zara Kasory, 32, from north Finchley, denied the same charges and faces trial at Harrow Crown Court on July 1.
Judge John Lodge set a further hearing for March 12 and remanded the defendants into custody.
Mr Freer, 63, was appointed parliamentary under secretary of state for the Ministry of Justice in September 2022. He served as minister for exports and minister for equalities between September 2021 and July 2022.
