A horrifying case of domestic abuse and arson has left a woman homeless and mourning the death of her beloved dog after her ex-partner returned just hours after being released by police and set her home ablaze.
Adrian West, 61, was sentenced to six years and three months in prison after admitting to a vicious campaign of abuse against his former partner, Louise Simpson, 53, and ultimately committing arson that destroyed her home and took the life of her dog, Peggy.
Simpson had endured months of violence from West, including strangulation and physical assaults, before she finally forced him out of her home in Crawley, Sussex, on September 13, 2024. But West wasn’t finished. Furious at being kicked out, he returned the same day and was caught on doorbell footage smashing the camera with a rock—a disturbing act that saw him arrested and held overnight.
The next morning, Simpson pleaded with police not to release him, warning that he would return to continue tormenting her. “Whatever happens, I just don’t want him to be able to come near me again,” she recalled sobbing. Despite her pleas, West was released without charges because she had not signed a witness statement. Her fear became reality that very day.
Hours later, while Simpson was resting at home, West returned and set her porch on fire using white spirit as an accelerant. The flames spread quickly, engulfing the house. Simpson woke to the sound of neighbors screaming that her home was on fire and raced to escape as thick black smoke filled her bedroom.
Her dog Peggy, a British Bulldog, froze in terror under the bed. Simpson desperately tried to move her but couldn’t. “If she decided she wasn’t going to move, you could not move her,” Simpson said. “I was desperately trying, but I couldn’t breathe.”
Unable to carry her, Simpson ran from the house, hoping someone would help save Peggy. Firefighters retrieved the dog but were unable to revive her.
In court, West pleaded guilty to arson with intent, non-fatal strangulation, criminal damage, common assault, and two counts of actual bodily harm. But Peggy’s death was not factored into the sentencing, a decision that left Simpson devastated.
“My beautiful Peggy was valued the same as a bookcase,” she said. “She was the one constant by my side through everything I endured with him—my best friend.”
Simpson is now campaigning for a change in the law to have companion animals legally recognized as sentient beings rather than property. Despite her loss, she remains determined to return to her home of 28 years once it is repaired—a place filled with memories, including those of Peggy.
The fire destroyed almost all of her belongings: family photos, her mother’s ashes, a handmade elephant sewn from her mum’s clothes, and even her son’s baby items. “For about four or five days, I couldn’t eat. I just laid on the sofa. I didn’t wash, didn’t brush my teeth. I was just crying non-stop. I couldn’t take it all in,” she said.
Louise Simpson’s powerful victim impact statement made clear that no sentence could undo what was done. “You will serve your sentence and one day walk free. I will never be free of what you did. And that is the life sentence you have given me.”
This content was created with AI assistance and edited by the iHeartDogs team.
