A mother accused of trying to turn herself into a

A mother accused of trying to turn herself into a human fireball
because she had been rejected by the boss she loved, wept on Friday
as an Old Bailey jury acquitted her of attempted arson.

‘All I want to do now is to go home to my little boy and tell
him that mummy will not be going to prison after all,’ she said
outside court.

The jury took only 40 minutes to find that Jacqueline Bridger,
46, had not recklessly endangered the lives of others.

They decided that when she tried to set fire to herself she had
no intention of hurting anyone but herself.

The court had heard that
after pouring a can of petrol over her head she made numerous separate
attempts to set it alight.

Mr Christopher Gray, prosecuting, said that it was ‘miraculous’
that she did not start an inferno.

Mrs Bridger said afterwards that she feels no bitterness towards
managing director Michael Sargeant, the man who she claimed was
her lover.

He was the main prosecution witness against her and
denied he had ever had sex with her in the office.

‘I still have a lot of feelings for him,’ Mrs Bridger said after
the hearing.

‘If it had been left to him the prosecution would never
have been brought against me.

‘
She went on: ‘I came to the Old Bailey expecting the worst.

All
my anger is towards the police for the way I have been treated and
for the lies they have told.

I thought the law was the truth and I have
found it is not.

‘
She said her whole family life had been disrupted by the trial.

All she wanted to do now was ‘to try to pick up the pieces of my life.

‘
Mr Sargeant, of Nelson Close, Farnham, the managing director
of Sargeant’s Photographic Laboratories in Farnham, said in the
witness box: ‘There was no relationship between us, she was a friend
like any of my employees.

‘It became an intolerable situation having an employee who was so
attracted to me so it was mutually agreed that she should go.

‘
When asked by the defence counsel whether he had ever ‘cuddled or
kissed’ her, he said: ‘Well, I might have given her a squeeze or a
cuddle’.

The jury were shown four photographs of Mrs Bridger and Mr
Sargeant at the Xmas party in 1988 where his hands were around her.

‘I danced with her but no more than with anyone else.

I had no idea,
then, about the way she felt about me.

‘
He denied having sexual intercourse with her in his office in September
1989.

The jury had heard how she had tried to turn herself into a human
fireball in front of him.

She claimed he had ditched her after their office affair.

But 53-year-old Mr Sargeant told the court that he had
never had a secret affair with attractive Mrs Bridger.

Describing the scene as she poured petrol over herself and
began frantically striking matches he said: ‘The petrol went over
her blouse.

I grabbed her arms to try and restrain her.

Petrol
spilled onto myself and the floor.

I managed to remove the matches
from her hand.

I threw them out of the window.

By that time she
had struck a couple which diddn’t seem to ignite.

‘
Prosecuting counsel said petrol had splashed over Mr.

Sargeant,
another member of staff and onto the office floor.

Mr.

Sargeant, who was dressed in a smart blue business suit
added to the jury: ‘The whole thing took place in a fraction of
a minute.

Obviously there was overwhelming panic.

I shouted for help.

A male member of staff came in and wrestled the petrol container
from her.

‘
The businessman said that Mrs.

Bridger became obsessed
with him.

He admitted that he was separated from his wife during
much of the time Mrs.

Bridger claimed they were having their affair.

He added that he acted as an ‘agony aunt’ listening to problems
in her marriage.

He strongly denied having an affair with her.

He told how she would corner him in his office after the rest
of the staff had gone home.

‘She appeared to become very attracted to me.

She was very
persistent.

She would start talking about her troubles and then she
would try and get affectionate with me.

I did not return her affection
except verbally by telling her she was an attractive woman.

‘
The director went on: ‘The situation became intolerable having
an employee so attracted to me.

I think it was about three and a
half years ago that it was mutually agreed that she would leave.

‘
But he revealed that they sometimes bumped into each other in
the street and he would listen to her troubles.

He recalled that on March 23 last he was sitting at his desk
when Mrs.

Bridger burst into his office.

She came and stood beside him
holding a red petrol can and matches.

‘She was very aggressive and very distraught.

She said: ”I wish
to have this out with you now.

” I leapt to my feet.

She removed the
top of the petrol cap and proceeded to pour petrol over herself and
trying to strike matches at the same time.

‘
Mrs.

Bridger, of Roman way, Farnham, who worked in the packing
and dispatch department of the company denied attempted arson with
intent to endanger life.

At the time of the alleged offence she was
working in a petrol station.

Mr.

Sargeant had worked with the company for 25 years.

The court heard that after she left his office she made a second
attempt to set fire to herself in forecourt.

Counsel had said: ‘She was shouting allegations about them having an
affair.

Sixteen spent matches were found outside the premises.

The wind
must have blown them out.

Fortunately a conflagration was avoided.

‘
Mrs Bridger, of Roman Way, Farnham, did not go into the witness
box to give her side of the story.

ENDS