Nursing home arsonist gets jail in Shanghai

A nursing home resident of Shanghai has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison for setting fire to the bed of a fellow tenant.

The incident happened last October when the man, surnamed Shi, returned home about 2am after drinking.

The court heard that the sexagenarian entered the room next to his own and set fire to the bed in which a man surnamed Hu was sleeping. Hu escaped unhurt, but the bed was damaged.

Prosecutors said Shi, a native of Zhujiajiao Town, started the fire as he was angry at the director of the home for introducing new rules banning alcohol from the facility and changing residents' bedtime.

The court heard that Shi frequently broke the house rules as he did not get on well with the director and believed he was being victimized.