Arsonist set £1.8m fire to destroy drug evidence

Firefighters from two counties battled the blaze at the site

A man who started a fire to destroy evidence of drugs - causing £1.8m of damage at a car recovery site - has been jailed for 13 years.

Charlie Martinson, 34, of Crescent Avenue, Grays, in Essex, started the blaze in a van at the Enfield's site, in Eaton Socon, Cambridgeshire, at 05:30 GMT on 24 February 2023.

The van, which contained £500,000 of cannabis, was completely destroyed along with 28 other vehicles, some of which were part of police investigations, police said.

Martinson was found guilty of arson with recklessness as to whether life was endangered and was sentenced at Cambridge Crown Court on Friday.

Charlie Martinson set the fire in a "determined attempt to destroy evidence", the judge said

Cambridgeshire Police said the recovery yard contained broken-down vehicles from the roadside and others seized by officers after being used in crimes.

Some had potentially been involved in an attempted murder, a burglary series and a robbery, the force said.

Investigations found the fire was started in, or very close to, a Luton van seized after a robbery in Huntingdon the night before. The van was found to have contained cannabis worth £500,000.

Police established the fire was started to try to destroy the van and the hidden drugs.

The Luton van had contained cannabis worth £500,000

The fire was so ferocious it caused the roof to partially collapse

Martinson was arrested after CCTV showed him and others breaking into the site.

They were also able to trace the car he used and a petrol container he used to start the fire.

Martinson refused to answer any questions while in custody and was charged with arson.

He was jailed for 13 years with an extra four years on licence.

Sentencing Martinson, Judge Philip Grey said the offence involved "organised, brazen criminality" and a "determined attempt to destroy evidence".

Fire crews from across Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire attended the blaze at the car recovery company

Det Con Lauren Kirkup, who investigated, said: "The sheer scale of the fire caused the roof to partially collapse and resulted in huge structural damage.

"A total of 29 vehicles were completely destroyed. This included some seized by police and nine vehicles awaiting examination for serious and fatal collisions, meaning family members may never get justice for their lost ones.

"Thanks to Martinson, evidence was also lost in an attempted murder investigation and an ongoing burglary series."

She added that the owner of the vehicle recovery site had spent 23 years building the business and was left feeling "helpless and frustrated" and was still losing money.

She said he estimated the overall damage costs to exceed £1.8m.