Teenage arsonist sentenced for causing £750,000 of damage to Hotpoint factory

Kian Setchfield, 19, started the blaze which tore through lorry trailers causing torrents of dark smoke.

Trailers destroyed by the fire (Cambridgeshire Police/PA)

A teenage arsonist who caused more than £750,000 worth of damage at a kitchen appliance factory has been handed a community order.

The blaze tore through lorry trailers at Hotpoint in Peterborough, sending large clouds of black smoke over the city.

Kian Setchfield, now 19, has admitted starting the fire in 2019 – when he was 15 years old, Cambridgeshire Police said.

Witnesses reported hearing explosions as billowing torrents of dark smoke were visible for miles across the city after the blaze broke out shortly before 7pm on August 29, 2019.

Police arrested five teenagers in connection with the incident the following day.

After a complex investigation, Setchfield and Craig Allpress, 23, were both charged with arson causing damage worth £754,000 to HGV trailers and their contents, as well as criminal damage to white goods belonging to Hotpoint in October 2021.

Setchfield, of Facet, near Peterborough, was sentenced to an 18-month community order at Cambridge Crown Court, the force said.

Allpress, of Peterborough, was cleared of arson, but was found guilty of criminal damage and received a 12-month conditional discharge.

Detective Sergeant Louis Scott said: “This was an incredibly long and complex investigation which has eventually seen convictions for a crime that had a significant impact on a business.

“The actions of Setchfield were extremely careless, and I hope the last few years have given him chance to reflect and learn from his mistakes.”