Two young men have been remanded back into custody to be assessed for dangerousness after they pleaded guilty to offences of arson and damaging property.

Nathan Stewart, 21, and Kieran Edgar, 19, both of Aireville Road, Shipley, were sent to Bradford Crown Court by the city’s magistrates and were due to be sentenced today.

But Recorder Abdul Iqbal QC adjourned the case until August 26 for psychiatric reports to be prepared. He said he wanted an expert medical opinion on the risk the pair posed to the public.

“These are serious offences particularly arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered,” he said.

Stewart and Edgar were committed to the crown court charged with doing £75 damage to a Mitsubishi Colt and causing £2,200 damage at Hall Royd Methodist Church in Bradford Road, Shipley, on January 14 last year.

They faced a further charge of committing arson on October 14, 2020, when £40,000 damage was done to a property in Halifax.

Both were also accused of damaging by fire a metal Bradford Council bin in Midland Road, Frizinghall, Bradford, on May 7 this year.

Today, Christopher Styles, Edgar’s barrister, said there was concern over the teenager’s cognitive functions and lack of maturity. A psychological report had been ordered at an earlier hearing but it wasn’t completed because Edgar was remanded in custody and it could not be done remotely.

A social worker had reported that Edgar had the cognitive age of a 14 or 15 year old.

Mr Styles said the psychologist felt unable to do a proper IQ and cognitive test without seeing Edgar in person and that had not been possible during the Covid lockdown.

Both Mr Styles and Stewart’s barrister, Christopher Morton, said they were unable to concede that either young man fell into the legal requirement to be labelled dangerous.

Recorder Iqbal said both Stewart and Edgar appeared to have a tendency to cause dam-age to other people’s property.

The reckless arson offence had a starting point of a four-year custodial sentence, the court was told. But that could be adjusted up or down by the findings of medical reports.