A MAN is set to face trial after pleading not guilty to two counts of arson after a fire at a Newport tower block.
Appearing before Newport Crown Court on Monday, May 23, Mark Anthony Smirthwaite faced one count of arson with intent to endanger life, and one count of arson with recklessness as to whether life was endangered.
The charges relate to an incident in the city on April 23, 2022.
On this date, it is alleged that Smirthwaite committed arson by setting fire to the bin storage area of the Greenwood flats, a block of residential flats owned by Newport City Homes on Beaufort Road.
Smirthwaite, of Beaufort Road, Newport, pleaded not guilty to both charges.
The 45-year-old will face a trial at Newport Crown Court on Tuesday, October 18, 2022.
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