A man who caused £1.8million of damage to a vehicle recovery site in St Neots has been jailed.
Charlie Martinson, 34, was found to be behind the blaze at the Enfield’s site, on Howard Road in Eaton Socon, first reported at 5.30am on 24 February 2023.
The blaze destroyed the building and vehicles inside, including cars seized by police linked to cases including attempted murder, burglary and robbery.
Investigations revealed the fire was started in, or very close to, a Luton van seized after a robbery in Huntingdon the night before.
The van was later found to have contained cannabis worth half a million pounds, hidden by purpose-built boarding, and police established the fire was started to try to destroy the van and hidden drugs.
Martinson, of Crescent Avenue in Grays, Essex, was found guilty of arson with recklessness as to whether life was endangered in November 2024.
On Friday 7 February 2025, Martinson was sentenced at Cambridge Crown Court, where he was handed 13 years in prison and an extra four years on licence.
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