Serial Bristol arsonist jailed after blaze destroyed historic boatyard
The 46-year-old from Knowle caused over £2.6 million worth of damage at Underfall Yard
Last updated 27th Nov 2023
A man from Knowle, described as a 'serial arsonist' has been jailed for life after starting a fire which destroyed an historic boatyard, causing millions of pounds of damage.
Robert Boyd-Stevenson, 46, had been working at the Underfall Yard in Bristol for three days as a maintenance co-ordinator when he lit the blaze, which happened earlier this year - back on May 6th.
Back then, the fire began in the Big Shed at shortly before midnight.
Within minutes, it was well alight, with the blaze so severe, it destroyed the structure, as well as a number of boats which were moored nearby to the site.
Dozens of locals had to also be evacuated as emergency services worked to tackle it.
Gregory Gordon, prosecuting, said the Grade II-listed boatyard dated from 1809 and many of the original Victorian-era buildings remain to this day.
The rebuild was estimated to cost £2.6 million and would take three years to complete, adding another £200,000 in lost revenue.
Since the blaze, a number of local businesses that used to work in the yard have stopped trading.
Others have faced bills of tens of thousands of pounds, and working hard to stay afloat.
Mr Gordon said: "The Big Shed is a machine workshop and it was one of the last remaining buildings on site that was used for its original purpose.
"It is a nationally historic, important site."
Mr Gordon said forensic examiners had concluded an accelerant had been used to the start the fire and within 15 minutes it had quickly spread.
Just after midnight several people living near the yard saw the flames and dialled 999.
The fire was so severe that residents on houseboats were taken out of the area, as were those in nearby houses.
The court heard that Boyd-Stevenson's wife, Laura, had noticed a change in his behaviour in the weeks before the arson with him crying a lot and being agitated.
On the night of the fire, he unlocked the yard and went to the Big Shed where he started the blaze, Mr Gordon said.
"GPS data puts him at the yard between 9.47pm and 11.48pm," he said.
"CCTV records a person walking through the yard and CCTV from nearby streets records his vehicle in the area."
Boyd-Stevenson watched the fire from the nearby Millennium Promenade where he took a photo and sent it by WhatsApp to Underfall Yard's managing director.
He also carried out internet news searches for articles about the arson and contacted a woman he had been having an extramarital affair with, asking to meet her, the court was told.
The defendant returned home on the morning of May 6 and his wife noticed he was calmer - similar to when he had committed a bomb hoax at Bristol Airport in 2015.
He was arrested by police later that evening.
Investigations found Boyd-Stevenson had accessed pornography on a computer at the yard and had opened a document about the alarm system. There was also money missing.
The fire also caused a power outage in the sluice gates of Bristol Harbour, which if they had failed could have caused "catastrophic damage" to the harbour walls, Mr Gordon said.
At a previous hearing, the defendant, of Headford Road, Knowle, Bristol, admitted arson being reckless as to whether life is endangered.
An alternative, more serious charge of arson with intent to endanger life was ordered to be left on file.
The court heard that Boyd-Stevenson has previous convictions for arson and bomb hoaxes dating back to 1997 and served an 11-year sentence for similar crimes.
Jenny Tallentire, defending, said: "He is not oblivious to the consequences of his actions.
"It follows a pattern that he has followed throughout his life. In an emotional breakdown in his life, he acts in the way he has.
"It is unusual and concerning and a dangerous trait."
Judge Martin Picton imposed a life sentence with a minimum term of six years' imprisonment after concluding Boyd-Stevenson posed a risk to the public from further offending.
"It appears when things in your life are going wrong you react by starting fires or making bomb hoaxes," the judge said.
"It has happened with significant frequency to give rise to the concern you are highly likely to do so again - you are clearly dangerous.
"The trauma for those whose homes were put at risk must have been considerable.
"Some businesses have been forced to close and some have had losses of tens of thousands of pounds to hundreds of thousands of pounds.
"The trauma for those people that night must have been extreme and will stay with them for a long time."