The Star Inn at Harome fire 'an accident' after charges against man accused of arson dropped
Charles Birkett was accused of using a lit cigarette to set fire to Grade II-listed 14th-century thatched pub following a blaze at the building in November in 2021.
The Michelin-starred pub and restaurant, which is run by chef-patron Andrew Pern, was ‘reduced to ashes’ as a result of the blaze.
Birkett was charged with arson causing more than £2m of damage and appeared at York Crown Court on Friday (23 February) where he pleaded not guilty to the allegation. The prosecution offered no evidence, stating that expert evidence found Birkett to be innocent.
A report from fire investigators paid for by Birkett’s family found that the fire had been caused accidentally by people flicking cigarette butts underneath a bench next to the pub, which then spread up the wall of the pub on some ivy and onto the thatched roof.
As a result of the new evidence the trial has been dropped.
