A FATHER-OF-TWO has admitted starting the fire which led to the closure of Walthamstow Police Station.

Abdul Saddiqi, 38, caused more than £100,000 worth of damage to the building, in Forest Road, in the attack last September.

The Met said last year it was unable to afford the repair costs and has still not decided if it will ever reopen again.

Jurors at the Old Bailey heard that Saddiqi set fire to the building after being "driven insane" by smoking 25 joints of powerful skunk cannabis per day.

The court was told that Saddiqi broke into the building by using a knife to pick the lock.

He then made a bonfire of confidential police documents, starting a blaze which took two hours to bring under control.

The police station was supposed to be open at the time but was empty due to staff being redeployed elsewhere in the borough.

Prosecutor Patricia Deighan said: "Police officers arrived at the station at about 1.55am after the alarm went off.

"They saw the defendant who walked towards them hiding a knife about eight inches in length in his hand.

"The officers instructed him to drop the knife, which he did, before telling them: 'I burnt the police station down.'"

Heather Hope, defending, said Saddiqi's life had been ruined by cannaboid psychosis when he attacked the police station just before 2am on September 20, 2011.

"He is very anxious about his future and he wants to get well," she said.

"He realises cannabis destroys people. He has a wife and two children but there are court orders in place at the moment.

"He was doing well until doctors reduced his medication and he had a relapse.

"He began talking to himself, pacing up and down and becoming very distressed.

"He could hear voices telling him they would kill his children."

Passing sentence, Judge Murray Shanks told Saddiqi: "You pleaded guilty which is good because you are facing up to what you have done.

"You could have caused terrible damage but I understand it was largely because you were not very well.”

Saddiqi, of Pendleston Road in Walthamstow, was sentenced to at least six months at a mental health unit at Goodmayes hospital in Ilford.

Doctors will then decide when he is fit to be released.

He pleaded guilty to arson and possessing a bladed article.

POLICE STATION FUTURE STILL IN DOUBT

A Met spokeswoman told the Guardian that the future of Walthamstow Police Station the building was still under review.

The closure has left the area without a fulling functioning police station for more than half a year, although there are various Safer Neighbourhoods Team bases in the area, including in High Street.

Walthamstow MP Stella Creasy told the Guardian that police had assured her that response times were not affected by the closure of the building.

When asked if she was concerned about its closure she said: "What worries me is that we're seeing cuts in police numbers in London and some of the services that police rely on, like cold case reviews.

"I'm not aware of any decision being taken yet but I would hope there would be a public consultation before they did anything."

Borough commander Steve Wisbey previously said he wanted to see more police officers out "in the community", based in places such as libraries and the town hall.

Many staff previous based in Walthamstow have since been relocated to Chingford Police Station, which itself was threatened with closure.

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