Teenagers guilty of arson at Peaky Blinders mill

More than 20 fire crews from West and North Yorkshire attended the blaze

Two teenagers have been found guilty of carrying out an arson attack which caused £15m of damage to a historic West Yorkshire mill.

McKenzie Motron, 18, from Bradford, and a 17-year-old who cannot be named, caused the blaze which destroyed the Genappe Mill in the Grade II* Listed Dalton Mills complex in Keighley, on 3 March 2022.

They had denied arson charges but were convicted after a trial at Bradford Youth Court.

They were released on bail for reports to be compiled and told to return to the same court on 7 October for sentencing.

The court was told how the pair were among five youths who got inside the mill through a window just before lunchtime.

They were inside Genappe Mill for just under eight minutes.

It was privately owned at the time and used for filming TV series including Peaky Blinders and Downton Abbey.

There were two polystyrene gargoyles, one smashed into bits, lying on the floor and these were soon set on fire, the court heard.

'Conflicting stories'

Mobile phone footage shot by Motron and the 17-year-old, which police later seized, showed a small fire and a person kicking bits of polystyrene towards the flames.

CCTV footage from a nearby garage was used to identify the suspects who were arrested a day later.

Both initially denied being at the mill but later changed their stories, admitting they had gone to the mill to smoke a joint.

The 17-year-old originally told police it was Motron who started the fire but both changed their stories in court, saying they did not know who was responsible.

Judge Alex Boyd said the combination of CCTV and mobile phone footage, the seizure of clothing worn by both teenagers on the day and their conflicting stories had satisfied him that they were both guilty of arson.

More than 20 fire crews from West and North Yorkshire plus other specialist fire appliances spent three days battling the blaze which the court was told caused £15m of damage.

Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here.