A mum filmed herself and her son "openly celebrating" and "dancing" after setting fire to her ex-partner's boat, which he was living on.
Jackie Lloyd, 54, and her son Adam Lloyd chanted "the roof is on fire" after using a lighter to ignite a cushion on the barge, leading to a blaze that completely destroyed the vessel on Bridgewater Canal at Canal Reach in Runcorn. Just moments before starting the fire on September 7 last year, Jackie had called the boat's owner Peter Hill, her former boyfriend, and threatened to set it alight.
Mr Hill was out driving in Lancashire at the time of the incident. In shocking footage shown to Chester Crown Court on Tuesday, the drunken mother and son could be seen celebrating as the huge flames engulfed the boat, the Liverpool Echo reports.
One clip showed Adam holding the lighter to the pillow while shouting "oh yeah" and "fire bro". In another scene, Jackie can be heard talking in the background, with Adam telling the camera "that’s my ma by the way".
The video also featured Adam chanting: “The roof, the roof, the roof is on fire" and his mother rambled "999 hurry up" and "999 go on".
During a moment of clarity, Adam muttered: "Oh we’re in the s***."
Peter Hussey, prosecuting, told how the fire took place shortly after Jackie Lloyd and Mr Hill ended their relationship.
He added that Mr Hill was out driving and had ignored several phones calls from his former partner on the day of the arson attack, before eventually pulling his car over to answer the phone.
Jackie, who was "dunk", asked him about some belongings she believed were on the barge, which he claimed to have in his possession, and told her to keep off the barge.
She said she was going to board anyway and threatened to start a fire if he didn't return her items - later reported by a defence barrister to have been photographs of an uncle.
In a final call between the pair, Mr Hill heard "footsteps on metal, which sounded exactly like footsteps on the deck of the barge and she then rang off". Witnesses saw the pair onboard the barge and reported "noisy damage being caused and shouts by both of the defendants".
When one passerby told them to stop what they were doing, the "evidently drunk" mum and son gave a "fairly abusive response" - particularly Jackie, who was seen leaving the barge living quarter and chucking items in the water. They were then seen "openly celebrating" as flames"engulfed and completely destroyed Mr Hill’s barge", which he was using as his home at the time.
When another witness challenged the duo, Jackie threatened to set his house on fire. When Cheshire Police officers arrived at the scene, she told them she was the owner of the barge, adding: "I admit it, I set it on fire".
Her son then intervened, saying: "If you’re going to arrest anyone, arrest me, I’ll take the blame."
Fire investigators established a "naked flame" caused the blaze, which caused £45,000 worth of damage and completely destroyed Mr Hill’s boat, which did not have insurance covering fire damage.
Adam and Jackie Lloyd later denied deliberately starting the inferno, with Adam Lloyd saying he "accidentally dropped" a roll-up cigarette.
The pair initially pleaded not guilty to joint arson intending to damage or destroy property , but entered guilty pleas after being presented with damning footage taken from the son’s phone that showed them in dancing and singing in front of the burning boat.
Remarking on the "celebrations afterwards", Mr Hussey said: "The crown’s case has always been that it was Adam Lloyd who actually set fire to the inside of the barge but with the encouragement and incitement of his mother."
Peter Barnett, defending Adam Lloyd, argued mitigation for the guilty plea and said his client had served at least seven months on remand.
He said Adam Lloyd was "intoxicated", which he recognised as an aggravating factor, but meant he had "limited recall" of the night's events, later accepting he "foolishly recorded the offence, which puts him at fault for setting the fire".
Mr Barnett said Adam Lloyd has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, but hadn't been taking his medication for about two months at the time due to side-effects.
His client also had a son and had been in employment with his job awaiting him on release, as well as being lightly convicted with some driving matters on his record from eight years ago.
Jeremy Rawson, appearing for Jackie Lloyd, said she had no previous convictions or addiction to drink or drugs and had pleaded guilty.
He said the fire showed "element of an impromptu act", adding he suspected "what was going on was each defendant urging the other defendant on by their conduct, and it escalates" and "it becomes more outrageous".
Mr Rawson told the court that Jackie Lloyd was her 84-year-old father’s carer and had raised her own children, and argued that her guilty plea was an "expression of remorse" - however this claim was rejected by the judge, Recorder Steven Everett who replied he wasn’t "convinced about the remorse", and told Mr Rawson: "I don’t see too much remorse".
Recorder Everett sentenced Adam and Jackie Lloyd, both of Riversdale, Frodsham, but different street addresses, to three years and four months in prison for the "truly despicable act".
He said the phone clips had a “real air of gloating”, and showed them “dancing” and “rejoicing”.
During his sentencing remarks, he said: “You decided to set fire to his barge: bad enough if it had been a barge he used for occasional holidays or weekends travelling up and down the canals of this country.
"It wasn’t just that this was his home and each of you knew it was his home, and each of you knew he’d be in serious difficulties if he lost his home, and you must have known it would cause him serious psychological harm as it clearly has, but you gave no thought to that when you Adam Lloyd were setting fire to the cushion on his barge, and you Jackie Lloyd were almost dancing with delight."
He added: "This was a nasty, mean and despicable act of revenge committed when the pair of you were drunk.
"It was an act of revenge on a man who didn’t deserve it."
A woman in the public gallery sobbed as the sentences were passed, leading to Recorder Everett asking her and a man sitting next to her to leave.
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