Teenager arrested over arson attack at Hilsea Lido
An alleged arson attack sparked a hunt for the culprit
A teenager has been arrested after a suspected arson attack at a waterside location.
The incident at South Coast Wakepark on Tuesday April 14 around 12.45am angered owners at the Adventure Sports Centre at Hilsea Lido on London Road, who warned the attacker: “We are after you.”
Police had drawn a blank in the hunt for the alleged attacker but have now revealed they have made an arrest. “Officers have arrested a 19-year-old man from Portsmouth on suspicion of arson. He has been bailed with conditions until 20 July whilst enquiries continue,” a spokesperson said.
CCTV captured the arson incident with a social media post appealing to the public for information and a warning message to the male. “We want to know who this fella is and we also want him to know we are after you,” the message said.
The post, which had several videos accompanying it, said: “The lad seen here very clearly on our CCTV system, (he) comes down from the footpath, hangs around the cafe for about a minute before heading over to the wakepark deck. (He) promptly ties a hoodie around the roof posts and sets fire to it.
“As you can see in the videos the supporting post is very much a blaze. Before checking his work (he) makes a dash down the waterside path back to the carpark. The quick in and out nature and no messing about approach looks as if it was an intentional act.”
The white male was described as late teens/early 20s, 5 '10 - 6' 0 with dark hair, blue ripped jeans, black trainers with white soles and a dark jacket. He had his hood up and had a print on the inside of the hood with a badge on the left upper arm.
The post added: “We take things like this very seriously. The countless hours and efforts to build a community and a culture at the wakepark and cafe and the love we all have for the place.
“For someone to take that away through stupidity or planned aggression we do not tolerate. We thank you all in advance for sharing this and supporting us to get to the bottom of this.”
A police spokesperson previously said: “We received a report on Monday 14 April that in the early hours of that morning, a wooden beam at South Coast Wakepark in Hilsea was set alight.
“It was reported that the fire was started deliberately. The fire extinguished itself and no one was harmed. Enquiries remain ongoing.”