Londoner who worked on Suits show pleads guilty to arson

There was a time in Freeman Hill’s life when he helped construct make-believe courtrooms in Toronto for a future spouse of a British prince.

However on Thursday, the previous set dresser stood within the prisoner’s field of an actual courtroom in London earlier than Ontario Court docket Justice Thomas Stinson and pleaded responsible to 1 rely of arson and two counts of failing to obey courtroom orders.

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Hill, 55, didn’t have a prison document previous to coming into the responsible pleas, for which he received a time-served sentence of 5 months to be adopted by 18 months of probation. He nonetheless faces drug and weapons fees.

“You don’t usually, Mr. Hill, see individuals who start their prison careers in your 50s. Often individuals begin that just a little youthful of their lives,” Stinson stated.

“So, I respect that, in your case, it might nicely have been, to an extent, a few of the penalties of the difficulties you discovered your self in which have, sadly, led you down this path.”

Stinson was informed the courtroom order breaches concerned Hill leaving his downtown residence at 186 King St., a constructing that has flats put aside for susceptible residents, whereas he was underneath a strict curfew between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. One of many fees was laid after a surveillance digicam recorded him leaving the constructing and the opposite cost was laid after he had been fitted with a GPS ankle bracelet.

The arson cost stemmed from final August when smoke was popping out of Hill’s seventh flooring unit. The superintendent found a charred log sitting on prime of the fuel range. The harm to the condominium unit was estimated at $10,000.

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Hill’s lawyer, James Zegers, informed Stinson about Hill’s background when “he was within the movie enterprise in Toronto,” working as a set dresser.

“Enjoyable truth, your honour,” Zegers stated. “He labored on the present Fits and helped assemble the courtroom the place the actors seem. You don’t hear that day-after-day.”

The tv present launched the appearing profession of Meghan Markle, now married to Prince Harry.

Zegers stated Hill fell on laborious instances, turned homeless and survived on incapacity advantages. He got here to London and was in a position to safe a spot to stay.

“I feel the arson itself is extra of a consequence of his psychological well being issues,” Zegers stated.

“On the time of those offences, he was having psychological well being issues. He describes it as psychosis. He’s listening to issues, he’s paranoid.”

Zegers stated since Hill has been in custody, he has “stabilized” and has been responding nicely to drugs though he nonetheless wants a full psychological work-up. He has been working within the kitchen and placed on much-needed weight.

When requested if he had something so as to add, Hill stood up within the prisoner’s field and informed the choose, “I’ll simply say I’ll settle for no matter you give me. What I did was incorrect.”

Hill stays in custody on his different fees.

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