Eaton Socon arsonist set £1.8m fire to destroy drug evidence
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.
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".
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.
Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Record
3 hours ago
- Daily Record
Renfrewshire paedophile branded "every parent's worst nightmare" jailed after sending sexual messages to teen girls
Twisted John McNaught sent sexual messages on social media platforms to six young teenage girls. A twisted paedophile described as 'every parent's worst nightmare' has been jailed for over three years after sending sexual messages on social media to six young teenage girls. Creepy John McNaught contacted the girls on Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat, and sent sexually explicit messages asking them to send naked pictures of themselves to him. He also sent sexually explicit images and videos of himself to them. When the girls blocked the 27-year-old pervert's accounts, he created new social media profiles in a bid to message them further – harassing them for indecent photos. Paisley Sheriff Court heard how one of the girls told McNaught she was only 12 and he crudely replied: 'I've had younger girls before.' Procurator fiscal depute Abi McKenna previously told the town's court: 'On February 10, 2024, an 11-year-old girl was messaged initially on TikTok and then on Instagram by the accused which began as general chat but then became sexual and made the girl feel uncomfortable. 'The accused asked the girl to send pictures of her private parts, which she did at the beginning. 'The accused then sent videos of himself carrying out a sex act on himself, and continued to message the girl in a sexually explicit manner. 'As a result, the girl advised the accused she was not going to send anything else and blocked the accused's account. 'On March 25, 2024, another Instagram account started messaging the girl. She identified this as being the accused who she had blocked in February but was now using another account name.' McNaught continued to send sexually explicit messages and, when the girl told him her age, he replied stating he didn't care as he's had 'younger girls before'. Further evidence of McNaught's seedy behaviour saw him send messages to a 12-year-old girl, stating she was 'fit', 'young', 'hot' and 'banging' and he asked her if she wanted to see pictures of his private parts. Ms McKenna added: 'A 13-year-old girl was added on Snapchat at the end of March last year by someone of the name of John Ross McNaught. 'He asked her what age she was and she told him she was 13. 'The accused then started replying to some of her TikToks and would message inappropriate things about her appearance. 'She deleted the comments and removed the accused from her accounts. 'He then started to create fake accounts which were all similar to the first one. 'He would message this girl... these comments made her feel sick and she wouldn't reply to any but the accused kept sending messages. 'He didn't send a picture of his face but he sent a picture of his private parts, four or five times, as well as a video of him carrying out a sexual act on himself.' The girls reported the abuse to their parents who contacted police. Officers later found a total of 72 images and videos of child sexual exploitation and abuse on two mobile phones owned by McNaught. A cybercrime investigation discovered this haul included nine Category A images – ranked as the highest level of severity for indecent images – and 27 Category A videos. McNaught's defence agent said there was 'nothing to say to mitigate these offences'. Sheriff Gillian Craig slammed McNaught and said: 'At the time of your arrest, you were out of control. 'You sent images, videos and messages of the most repugnant sort. 'These girls asked you to stop. They should never have been placed in that position, they should have been left alone to enjoy the innocence of childhood. 'What is clear is your actions have had catastrophic consequences. 'Because of the gravity of the offence and your previous analogous conviction a custodial sentence is the only appropriate disposal.' McNaught, described as a prisoner of Low Moss jail, Bishopbriggs, East Dunbartonshire, was jailed for three years and four months. Upon his release, McNaught will be subject to licence for 24 months. In addition, he was placed on the sex offenders' register for an indefinite period and made subject to a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years. Non-harassment orders for all six of McNaught's victim's were also granted for 20 years.
Scottish Sun
3 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Noughties rap icon Soulja Boy arrested by cops during Los Angeles traffic stop after being ‘caught with gun'
This is not the first time the artist has been arrested STAR SHOCK Noughties rap icon Soulja Boy arrested by cops during Los Angeles traffic stop after being 'caught with gun' Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) NOUGHTIES rap icon Soulja Boy has been arrested after allegedly being found in possession of a gun. The 35-year-old, real name DeAndre Cortez Way, was taken into custody after a vehicle stop in Los Angeles, according to the LA Police Department. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 3 Soulja Boy has reportedly been arrested in LA Credit: Getty 3 He was arrested after a traffic stop Credit: Getty The Crank That (Soulja Boy) artist was stopped at around 2:30am on Sunday morning on Melrose Avenue, LAPD officials told NBCLA. Police told TMZ that "officers spotted a firearm in" the vehicle that Soulja Boy had been a passenger in. It is not clear why the vehicle was initially pulled over. The rapper was booked on suspicion of being a felon in possession of a firearm shortly after 6am. It's not yet known whether he has since been released. Soulja Boy is yet to publicly comment on the incident. On Saturday night, Soluja Boy had posted videos on Instagram from his birthday party at LA nightclub Poppy. The artist is best known for his 2007 hit Crank That, which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks and scored him a nomination for best rap song at the Grammys. He was previously arrested and charged with a felony offence for carrying a loaded gun during a 2014 traffic stop in LA. And in April this year, he was ordered to pay more than $4m in damages to his former assistant who accused him of sexual battery and abuse. The unnamed woman sued the star, claiming he regularly raped her and beat her - and sometimes kept her prisoner - when she worked for him. Soulja Boy had denied abusing her and insisted their relationship was consensual - but a jury in a civil trial found him liable for sexual battery, assault and gender violence. More to follow... For the latest news on this story, keep checking back at The U.S. Sun, your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, sports news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures, and must-see videos. Like us on Facebook at TheSunUS and follow us on X at @TheUSSun
The Herald Scotland
3 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Donald Trump 'escapes' from prison in viral Glasgow mural
The artwork 'MAGA' in the Gorbals by artist Ashley Rawson was painted late last year behind the Brazen Head pub, but went viral when President Trump visited Scotland late last month. The mural featured the U.S flag painted in black and gold, incorporating into the stripes a barred window on the wall. Read More: A wooden painting of Mr Trump was affixed behind the bars, but in the wake of the work's popularity it has apparently been stolen. Mr Rawson told The Herald: "A guy messaged me on Facebook who is a [[Gorbals]] resident and said, 'he's not in his cell'. "He'd gone and taken a photo on Wednesday and he was still there then, so he must have gone missing some time between Wednesday evening and Saturday morning. "I had him really securely bolted in because I thought someone would just lift him if I didn't. "So someone's had to go to quite a lot of effort to get him out, it would have been easy to snap it or graffiti over him but to actually get it out from behind the bars you'd need steel clippers or something. "I'm a bit gutted, my son and I were walking in to town and went to take a look and it's totally gone, there's no sign of it - it's just been lifted. Ashley Rawson next to his mural of Donald Trump, which now features no Donald Trump (Image: Ashley Rawson) "It hasn't been damaged or vandalised, they've literally taken Trump and that's it! "I don't know if they've mistaken the value of it - it's not a Banksy, it's not worth anything! "It's probably more likely to be some students or something, but it's a shame. "The rest of the artwork is completely untouched, which seems a bit strange. "I was sort of worried someone might have seen it and gone along because they were angry about it - though I should say most of the comments have been really positive - and graffitied over it or something." The mural in its original form (Image: Ashley Rawson) The President may be at large, but the artist says if there's a public appetite he can return an image of Mr Trump to the mural. Mr Rawson says: "I'd love to know if people would like to see him reinstated, in which case I'd go and get a bit of wood and re-do it but fix him in much more securely - so he can't escape! "I put a lot of effort into my art, I did this 'Christ on a Bike' thing down by the Clyde and people seemed to really like it but then someone just painted over it. "I did an Oasis one too a few weeks ago, a monobrow on a telephone box with an eye referencing the fact Oasis were discovered in King Tut's and someone has come up and basically destroyed it. "I only saw that last night as well, so Donald's been stolen and the Oasis thing has been damaged. But I suppose that's the difference between street art and canvas paintings - more people see it but it doesn't have the longevity." Mr Rawson is clear that if someone has stolen Mr Trump, he can be returned with no questions asked. You can contact the artist on his Facebook page or his Instagram page. As for the wider effect of his viral status, time will tell. Mr Rawson said: "Someone said to me the other day, 'you're not going to be able to go to America'. "The funny thing is, I'm very middle of the road, I just did a bit of slightly fun art. I'm not super left-leaning the way some of the comments make me out to be! It's quite funny. "Hopefully I'm not on a hit list, but I'll be looking out for vans with dark windows..."
