A man accused of setting a fire in a Witney flat has been remanded in custody.

Appearing before Oxford Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday afternoon (February 21), Adam Strode, 46, of Bourton Close, Witney, was not asked to enter a plea to a single charge of arson with intent to endanger life.

Prosecutor Ann Sawyer-Brandish told the magistrates that firefighters were called to the block of flats in the cul-de-sac at around 4.41am on Monday (February 20). The fire, which was said to have started in the living room, was contained in one flat.

The justices remanded Strode into custody pending a plea and trial preparation hearing at Oxford Crown Court on March 24.

The charge faced by Strode is indictible-only, meaning a plea can only be entered at the crown court.

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