Man burned down Devon village home as 'revenge' on ex-wife

A man who burned down his home to take "revenge" on his ex-wife has been jailed for two years.

John McCorry set the home he owned with his ex-wife on fire days before it was due to be sold.

McCorry, 75, of Lloyds Court, Exeter, previously admitted arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered at Exeter Crown Court.

Recorder Donald Tait said: "Your actions have destroyed her future and you have destroyed your own future.

"You would appear to have been entirely consumed by hatred for your wife at that time and this was revenge on your part."

Recorder Tait also imposed a five-year restraining order banning McCorry from contacting his ex-wife, who had moved out about two years before the fire.

The court heard McCorry had spent years renovating the 200-year-old cottage.

The house was due to be sold days after the fire for £550,000, but due to the damage was only sold for £320,000.

The loss was not insured because McCorry had stopped paying the premiums without telling his wife after she moved out.

At an earlier fact-finding hearing McCorry initially claimed the fire had been started accidentally.

The flames were only extinguished when neighbours alerted the fire service, who shut the entire village to battle the blaze.

Neighbours were shocked to see McCorry sitting in his garden, sipping a glass of whisky, as the flames engulfed the back of the house.

When asked what he was doing, he replied "I'm watching it burn", the court was told.

McCorry previously told the court he was not seeking a divorce and did not want to move out of the house.

He said: "That came from her end. I was not angry, I was upset."

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