Paedo vigilante burned down school because he claimed it was a ‘playground for paedophiles’
The 55-year-old became 'obsessed' with the idea a school was covering up child sexual abuse
A PAEDO vigilante burned down a school and called it a "playground for paedophiles" after becoming obsessed with the idea of sexual abuse being protected.
Philip Day, 55, posted "wild accusations" on Facebook before torching the secondary school in a £2.4million arson attack in Northwich, Cheshire.
A court heard that Day, of Runcorn, became obsessed that a pupil at the University of Chester Academy at Northwich (UCAN) school had been sexually abused by one of the teachers. No evidence was ever found to back up his claims.
Yesterday Day pleaded not guilty but was convicted of counts of stalking a teacher and the head teacher of UCAN, and two counts of arson, one at UCAN and the other at the house in Essex. He was acquitted of a count of burglary.
The jury heard how Day had been investigated for harassment of the two UCAN staff members, carried out over a number of months due to his wrongly-held belief that a sexual offence had occurred.
WILD ACCUSATIONS
An official allegation has never been made against the teacher or school, but thorough investigations were carried out and completed by the school, local authority and police.
Day began posting videos on Facebook making "wild accusations" regarding the school being a "playground for paedophiles", and became involved in the "paedophile-hunting" community.
Through his involvement in paedophile hunter he met Samantha Baldwin and they began an affair, according to prosecution.
Baldwin lost custody of her two children following a high-profile case in 2017, where she falsely accused their father of sexually abusing them.
£2.4million of damage
Two of the counts relate to Day allegedly travelling down to Essex, where Baldwin’s ex-partner and children were living, and committing burglary and then arson at their empty house around New Year’s Eve 2017.
Two months later, after becoming "angry" when interviewed by police about his conduct relating to UCAN staff, he is alleged to have set fire to the school by creating 18 seats of fire using a jerry can and combustible materials, causing £2.4million of damage.
He was arrested later that day, and the resulting investigation led police to link the cases in Northwich and Essex.
Mr Connor, for the CPS, told the jury: “In a nutshell, Mr Day became obsessed with the idea [of a rape] by a teacher at UCAN.
MOST READ IN NEWS
“There is no doubt that his belief in that is genuinely held, however the prosecution says that his belief is not grounded upon any hard facts."
Mr Connor added: “One can only imagine the impact the defendant’s behaviour had on the school staff, parents and ironically the schoolchildren, who he claimed to protect.”
Day denies all charges. The trial continues at Chester Crown Court, and is expected to last up to four weeks.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368 . You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.