Aristocrat destroyed £1m home in divorce revenge

The grandson of a baronet destroyed his own £1million house to spite his estranged wife after their acrimonious divorce, a court heard.

Desmond Fitzgerald, 63, ripped out radiators and flooded the terrace of the home that he had shared with his ex-wife, Catherine Akester.

Fitzgerald, whose grandfather was Maj Gen Sir Allan Adair, the 6th Baronet Adair, was convicted by a jury.

Judge Davinder Gill remanded him in custody before sentencing next month, revealing that a probation assessment of Fitzgerald had found signs of “emotional instability and risktaking”. The judge said she will also consider imposing a restraining order.