Birmingham teen set fire to National Express double decker bus with unaware passengers on board Theo Francis, who was 16 at the time, set fire to a piece of paper and left it on the seat of the no.33 service as it past through Kingstanding with other passengers on board West Midlands Police would like to speak to this man after a number 33 bus was set alight in Kingstanding while on its way from great Barr to Birmingham city centre A teenager torched a double decker bus costing National Express £225,000 due to it being written off. Theo Francis took three attempts to set fire to a piece of paper which he left on a seat on the upper deck of the no.33 service in Kingstanding, Birmingham. ‌ He then got off as flames spread while other passengers were sitting on the lower deck. Article continues below READ MORE: Drivers must check new DVLA rule which comes with risk of £150 charge Francis remained on the run for months prompting West Midlands Police to issue a wanted appeal, showing CCTV images capturing him wearing dark clothes and a balaclava with his hood also pulled up. The then 16-year-old, who has since turned 18, initially denied it was him after being caught but went on to admit a charge of arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered. ‌ Francis, of Finchley Road, Kingstanding, was sentenced to two years and seven months at Birmingham Crown Court. The incident took place around 10pm on October 25, 2023 as the bus went along Brockwell Road. Prosecutor Shehraz Hussain said: "The defendant boarded a bus, belonging to National Express, and sat on the upper deck. ‌ "At this time there were other passengers sat on the lower deck. "Theo took a piece of paper, set it alight and placed it on the floor. "This burnt momentarily before it extinguished of its own accord. ‌ "He picked up the same piece of paper from the ground and set it alight and placed it back on the ground out of view of the CCTV. This piece of paper again extinguished." He continued: "At this point he produced another piece of paper and placed it on the seat and set it alight. "Theo watched the paper burn and produce flames before leaving the bus. ‌ "The flames grew causing extensive damage to the bus." The prosecutor confirmed the £225,000 bus had to be written off because it was not economically viable to repair it. In a statement National Express said the incident risked the safety of the driver and passengers, while adding that people lighting fires on buses deterred others from wanting to use them. ‌ Francis was not arrested until February last year when he claimed it was someone else who set fire to the bus. After being bailed he went on to commit a number of other offences which resulted in him receiving a short suspended prison sentence and a youth rehabilitation order. Andrew Baker, defending, stated Francis was ultimately 'brave' to plead guilty. ‌ He told the court the teenager had learning difficulties and a low IQ. Mr Baker said: "He has had a truly wretched childhood. "The only supportive figures are his grandmother and aunt. ‌ "His father has been absent throughout and his mother has had very little interplay in his life." The barrister also added Francis had been subjected to bullying while in custody at HMP Brinsford young offenders institution in Staffordshire. Judge Tom Rochford, passing sentence on Thursday (April 24), confirmed he had to deal with the teenager as if he was a youth, adding he also had regard to guidelines for offenders with mental health, developmental and neurological issues. ‌ He expressed concern that Francis had not sought help over being exploited or 'taken advantage of' by other people. He said: "Being exploited doesn't mean you are weak, strong people are exploited, and looking for help doesn't mean you're weak. "In a funny way it can mean you are strong if you look for help. ‌ "Sometimes you have to be brave and strong to look for help and be brave and strong to know you can't manage everything on our own. "I hope you will think about that in future. I can see you are nodding." Judge Rochford told Francis he had not responded 'how we hoped you would' to his youth rehabilitation order. Article continues below He concluded the arson offence was 'so serious only a custodial sentence can be justified'.