Man jailed for arson in Henbury

A man from Macclesfield who purposely caused a fire at a building in Henbury has been jailed for two years and seven months.

40 year-old Christopher Payne, of Hewston Crescent was sentenced at Chester Crown Court on Thursday.

The court heard that on Thursday 22 May 2025, officers responded to reports that an unknown man had been seen on video doorbell footage forcibly entering a site office building on an industrial site near to Pepper Street, Henbury.

Payne would initially plead not guilty to the offence of arson, but he would chance his plea part-way through his trial in October.

He was also ordered to pay a £228 surcharge on top of his custodial sentence.

Detective Constable Doug Whitfield, who oversaw the case, said:

“I welcome the sentence handed to Christopher Payne and I hope that he uses the next two-plus years behind bars to think about his actions.

“As this case has shown, it is very important to have some form of CCTV or video capture system covering the vicinity of your property. Installing these can be a crucial tool to help you protect your property and deter any would be thieves or, in this case, arsonists.

“It was this video footage that was vital in both police being alerted to the intruder forcing his way into the property and capturing him fleeing from it upon officers’ arrival.”