Men who set fire to the home of a rival family during feud sent to jail
Confrontation took place in Aston Flamville during lockdown REVENGE ATTACK FOLLOWED AN ALTERCATION BETWEEN GROUPS
A FEUD between two families resulted in a revenge arson attack which destroyed a £400,000 home.
The planned fire was started by four members of an Enderby family, who drove from Leicestershire to Essex during the Covid-19 lockdown to commit the offence, using accelerants to cause maximum damage.
The massive blaze left a family with four children homeless and destroyed the work equipment of the home owner, Michael Maloney, severely affecting his business.
Leicester Crown Court was told that four days earlier members of the two families, the Maughans and the Maloneys, were involved in a confrontation about alleged bad mouthing and rumours being spread.
Thomas Maughan, 30, Terence Peo Maughan, 26, Christopher Collins, 24, and James Thompson, 23, all of Blaby Road, Enderby, admitted arson at a static caravan and a barn in Mill Road, Henham, Essex, on Tuesday, April 14.
The defendants, with the exception of Collins, also pleaded guilty, along with two other Blaby Road residents - Simon Martin Maughan, 25, and Simon Terence Maughan, 51 - to using threatening behaviour during a stand-off between the two families at Aston Flamville, near Hinckley, on Friday April 10.
Lucia Harrington, prosecuting, said: “The complainants in this matter are the Maloney family.
“Joseph Maloney lives in Leicestershire and his brother, Michael, lives in Essex.”
She said the motivation behind the events centred on Joseph Maloney’s business in the construction and paving industry.
The prosecutor said damage was caused to a number of newly-laid drives, while signs advertising Mr Maloney’s business were taken. It was suspected the Maughan family were responsible, which they denied.
On April 10, Joseph Maloney went to a site owned by his brother-in-law at Lynchgate Lane, Aston Flamville, with his two sons, aged 18 and 11.
At 2.30pm Thomas Maughan arrived in a van along with Terence Peo Maughan, who accused the 18-year-old son of “bad mouthing” him and there was an altercation.
Thomas Maughan armed himself with a spade after brawling in a ditch with Joseph Maloney, who intervened to help his son. The codefendants then arrived in another vehicle. Weapons were wielded and threats made - with Collins taking no part in any unlawful behaviour before the police arrived 40 minutes later.
The next day, on hearing about threats being made, Michael Maloney contacted the police saying he was concerned for the safety of his family and home in Essex.
At 11.30pm on April 14, Michael Maloney’s neighbour heard a loud bang and saw “huge flames” coming from a caravan and barn, which were burnt to the ground. The Maloney family were not on the premises and no-one was harmed.
The four arsonists were stopped on their journey back to Enderby and each made no comment in interviews.
Judge Robert Brown said: “This was a planned attack on a residential home of a man and his family and also on his business premises that were completely destroyed, including the tools of his trade, and was designed to intimidate him.
“You drove to Essex from Leicestershire with the intention of setting fire to his property and accelerant was used in three seats of fire.
“It was a revenge attack for what happened four days earlier.
“It was a group attack by four of you and you’re jointly responsible.”
The judge said the defence disputed the £350,000 to £400,000 value put on the damage caused.
He added: “I’ve seen the photographs and reached the view they were modern, impressive buildings and they would have had significant value.”
He said that, fortunately, was “no risk to life.”
Of the April 10 incident, the judge said: “I can see there’s a background there between the two sets of families. This was a bad example of threatening behaviour.”
The barristers representing all the defendants said their clients were hardworking breadwinners for their families, with children to support.
Their loved ones would be affected by their incarceration.
The judge was asked to bear in mind the harsh prison lockdown regime because of Covid-19, with 23 hours a day cell confinement and no visits allowed.
The court heard that Collins and James Thompson were both of previous good character.
Terence Peo Maughan and Thomas Maughan were each jailed for four-and-a-half years.
Thompson and Collins were each jailed for four years.
Simon Martin Maughan and Simon Terence Maughan, who played no part in the arson, were each handed three-month sentences for threatening behaviour, enabling immediate release.