Professor Theresa Gannon

It's actually really, really unusual for someone to use fire to actually kill another human being. It's really unusual. I can think of probably two or three examples in my whole career. And I started working in fire setting over 15 years ago now.

It's actually really, really unusual for someone to use fire to actually kill another human being. It's really unusual. I can think of probably two or three examples in my whole career. And I started working in fire setting over 15 years ago now.

It's actually really, really unusual for someone to use fire to actually kill another human being. It's really unusual. I can think of probably two or three examples in my whole career. And I started working in fire setting over 15 years ago now.

Everyone presumes that people set deliberate fires or try and harm people with deliberate fires or warn people off or, you know, send a message about their own distress. because they're inappropriately interested in fire.

Everyone presumes that people set deliberate fires or try and harm people with deliberate fires or warn people off or, you know, send a message about their own distress. because they're inappropriately interested in fire.

Everyone presumes that people set deliberate fires or try and harm people with deliberate fires or warn people off or, you know, send a message about their own distress. because they're inappropriately interested in fire.

And quickly, I became interested in the fact that some of the people I was coming across in clinical assessment and treatment, they didn't have an inappropriate interest in fire, but they were still using it.

And quickly, I became interested in the fact that some of the people I was coming across in clinical assessment and treatment, they didn't have an inappropriate interest in fire, but they were still using it.

And quickly, I became interested in the fact that some of the people I was coming across in clinical assessment and treatment, they didn't have an inappropriate interest in fire, but they were still using it.

The field is probably about 20 years behind other fields of criminal behaviour, such as our understanding of sexual offending or violence. There are well over 200 risk assessment tools for people who've committed violence and there are no properly developed risk assessment tools for people who've set deliberate fires. In fact, that's something I'm currently working on.

The field is probably about 20 years behind other fields of criminal behaviour, such as our understanding of sexual offending or violence. There are well over 200 risk assessment tools for people who've committed violence and there are no properly developed risk assessment tools for people who've set deliberate fires. In fact, that's something I'm currently working on.

The field is probably about 20 years behind other fields of criminal behaviour, such as our understanding of sexual offending or violence. There are well over 200 risk assessment tools for people who've committed violence and there are no properly developed risk assessment tools for people who've set deliberate fires. In fact, that's something I'm currently working on.

It talks about this theory, the idea of fire setting scripts. Now, all of us, you and me, have a script about fire. And what that means is it's a cognitive rule that we learn, usually as children, about how and when fire should be used. With people who set deliberate fires, what we propose is that they have learnt an inappropriate fire script.

It talks about this theory, the idea of fire setting scripts. Now, all of us, you and me, have a script about fire. And what that means is it's a cognitive rule that we learn, usually as children, about how and when fire should be used. With people who set deliberate fires, what we propose is that they have learnt an inappropriate fire script.

It talks about this theory, the idea of fire setting scripts. Now, all of us, you and me, have a script about fire. And what that means is it's a cognitive rule that we learn, usually as children, about how and when fire should be used. With people who set deliberate fires, what we propose is that they have learnt an inappropriate fire script.

But I would argue that some individuals may learn that fire is the best way to instill fear or to punish another person for a a supposed wrongdoing.

But I would argue that some individuals may learn that fire is the best way to instill fear or to punish another person for a a supposed wrongdoing.

But I would argue that some individuals may learn that fire is the best way to instill fear or to punish another person for a a supposed wrongdoing.

You show fire to any animal, it will kind of back away. You know what I mean? It's very powerful and evolutionary-wise, we're kind of programmed to be scared of it.

You show fire to any animal, it will kind of back away. You know what I mean? It's very powerful and evolutionary-wise, we're kind of programmed to be scared of it.