Bridegroom who set fire to Peckforton Castle Hotel is jailed

A boozed up bridegroom who started a fire during his own wedding reception to spite bosses at a country hotel near Whitchurch was today starting a six year jail sentence.

The blaze caused an estimated £5.4 million of damage to Peckforton Castle Hotel in Cheshire, and led to 117 people, including 13 children, being evacuated.

See more pictures of the damage in our gallery

Max Kay, 37, of Waylands Drive, Hunts Cross, Liverpool, pleaded guilty at Chester Crown Court in December to a charge of arson that was reckless as to whether life was endangered.

Hotel bosses today welcomed the sentence, saying they were 'delighted' the man responsible had been brought to justice.

Hotel owner Chris Naylor said: "The last eight months have been extremely tough on myself, my family, the Peckforton Castle team, our brides, grooms, hotel guests and local, wider community."

The court heard yesterday the fire broke out in a wing of the castle at about 5am on June 19 last year.

Kay, a property developer and father-of-four, had rowed with the hotel owners over money and he was caught on CCTV going in and out of the drawing room where the blaze started.

The court heard that he was under 'enormous financial pressure', had a big ego and wanted to impress with a swanky wedding – though his property business had failed in the economic crash.

But Kay resented being chased by the owners of the castle for payments and took 'revenge' while 'massively' drunk after they threatened to cancel the occasion just three days before the wedding unless they received £15,000 still outstanding.

Patrick Thompson, defending, said it was 'not wise' of a bankrupted Kay to arrange such a wedding and he 'over-committed himself'.

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