Three Burton Latimer schoolboys – two of them brothers – and an unemployed youth were remanded at a special court at Kettering this afternoon charged with setting fire to a stack at a Burton farm on Wednesday night.

Colin Norman George Cunningham (19), unemployed, 27 Rosebery Street:  Arthur Ernest Lovell (12), scholar, 31 Queensway, Burton Latimer: Trevor Edward Lovell (13), scholar, of the same address; and Peter Arthur Ramsbottom (13) , scholar, 11 Hillcrest Avenue, were accused of setting fire to a stack of hay and straw, the property of Herbert Oliver Perkins, at Burton Latimer, on October 27.

They were remanded until next Wednesday.  The three schoolboys were allowed bail, but Cunningham was remanded in custody.

Chief Inspector W.D. Balding, told the court:  All four will be charged with other offences, and one of the other charges will be another arson at Burton Latimer”.

The police objected to bail for Cunningham, but Inspector Balding said the fathers of the other boys had said there would be no further trouble.  The fathers stood bail for £20 for each of the boys.

PC Nutt said the four were arrested between 9 and 12 this morning.

“They have made statements sufficient enough to connect them with the charge” he said.