POUTING identical twins who threatened to blow up an Esso petrol station during a stand-off with police have been jailed.
Brittany and Bethany Lee, both 23, doused themselves in gasoline at the Sturry Road petrol garage in Canterbury on April 10 and threatened to ignite a flame.
The drunken twins sparked terror after dousing themselves in petrol and trying to blow up an Esso garage[/caption]
Brittany and Bethany Lee attempted to ignite a lighter during a stand-off with police[/caption]
The girls appeared at Canterbury Crown Court on Friday where Prosecutor Vishal Misra told how the pair planned on killing themselves and blowing up the petrol station.
He said the twins laid out their grim plan in a phone call to police, where Bethany Lee said she was going to set herself on fire, as well as the petrol station, Kent Online reports.
When cops arrived to the Lakeside petrol station 20 minutes later, the twins warned they would “set themselves alight” if responding officers got too close, the court heard.
Prosecutor Misra said: “Bethany was seen with a lighter, trying to discharge the lighter.”
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Their ploy only failed when their lighter failed discharge and they fled the garage.
In CCTV footage played in court, Brittany and Bethany are seen using three different pumps to pour petrol on themselves.
You ran the risk of killing yourselves, of killing the other sister, or maiming yourselves, or the other sister, or those in the filling station
Judge Mark Weekes
For about five minutes, the twins terrified petrol station staff who eventually deactivated the system so only residual fuel flowed from the nozzles, the court heard.
Bodycam footage from the arresting officers noted the “strong smell of fuel” when they were eventually chased down.
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The pair refused to watch the horrifying footage as it was played in court.
During the proceedings on Friday, Brittany requested to leave the court.
Brittany has 26 convictions for 54 offences and Bethany 14 convictions for 26 offences for relatively minor crimes, including being drunk and disorderly, the court heard.
‘CHALLENGING LIFE’
Judge Mark Weekes told the twins their behaviour was “in large part a desire to seek attention”.
He said: “You ran the risk of killing yourselves, of killing the other sister, or maiming yourselves, or the other sister, or those in the filling station.”
Bethany’s lawyer, Phil Rowley, said his client pleaded guilty at an early opportunity, explaining his client has had a “troubling and challenging early life”.
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Representing Brittany, Charlotte Oliver said the sisters have formed “a destructive alliance.”
The pair were jailed for three years and nine months each.