Manchester: Andrew McGarry drew map of ex-wife's house from cell for inmates to carry out arson attack

Bitter Andrew McGarry plotted to have his ex-wife killed from his Manchester prison cell and provided fellow inmates with a hand drawn map of her home so they could torch it.

Qualified architect McGarry, 39, was jailed for eight years in February 2013 for attempted murder after he set fire to his Vauxhall Zafira before ploughing it into the home of his ex-wife and children.

The car and house were damaged but no one inside was seriously injured.

However, McGarry's contempt for his ex-wife seemed to fester and soon after being sent to HMP Forest Bank he hatched a plan to kill her.

Arson attack

Befriending two other inmates, he asked one of the men if they knew anyone who would be willing to damage his old house, where his wife was still living, and offered him £100 to arrange for the windows of the house to be smashed.

With no intention of doing so, the inmate told McGarry he would arrange this and was given five packets of tobacco as payment. McGarry provided the man with his wife's address.

Some days later McGarry told the man he wanted someone to burgle the house and then set it on fire.

The following morning McGarry handed him some detailed plans of the house which he had drawn. This time he said he would pay him £2,000 to facilitate his request.

When McGarry was asked whether his wife would be present, he told the inmate that he was "not bothered" if his wife and children would be there when it was on fire.

Again, with no intention of arranging the arson attack, the inmate told McGarry he would get someone to do it in exchange for Playstation games.

"Reign of terror"

Realising that McGarry was intent on having his wife injured, the man confided with a fellow inmate who asked him what he wanted, to which McGarry replied: "a reign of terror".

McGarry later told the inmate he wanted his wife and neighbour dead and offered £50,000 for someone to set fire to both their houses.

In April 2013, he was moved to HMP Wymott but it was not not long before he again attempted to mastermind a similar plan.

Appearing at Bolton Crown Court, McBarry was was given a discretionary life sentence and ordered to serve a minimum of six years after he was found guilty of three offences under Section 48 of the Serious Crime Act, namely supplying names, addresses, maps and directions to fellow inmates, capable of encouraging or assisting the commission of damage, arson, theft and assault.