Shocking footage shows the moment a mum and son 'gloated' and danced with joy after they set fire to her ex's home.
Adam Lloyd, 36, and his 56-year-old mother Jackie Lloyd recorded themselves 'dancing' as a houseboat in Runcorn, Cheshire went up in flames, in what was described in court as a "truly despicable act".
In the clips, shown at Chester Crown Court on Tuesday, Adam can be heard chanting "the roof is on fire" after setting light to a cushion on the barge using a cigarette lighter, with the resulting fire completely destroying the boat.
As the fire rages, Adam turns the camera around and shouts “oh yeah” before placing his arm around his mum, with the pair then grinning together.
The shocking arson attack on September 7 last year targeted a boat belonging to Jackie Lloyd’s ex-partner Peter Hill, which was moored on the Bridgewater Canal at Canal Reach in Runcorn.
She had claimed Mr Hill had been cheating on her during their 20 year romance.
Moments before the attack, Jackie Lloyd had called Mr Hill as he was driving up to Lancashire and threatened that she would set the vessel on fire while he was gone.
In the footage shown to the court, Jackie Lloyd could also be heard rambling "999 hurry up" and "999 go on" - while during an apparent moment of clarity Adam muttered: "Oh we’re in the s***."
Peter Hussey, prosecuting, told how the arson attack happened a short time after Jackie Lloyd and Mr Hill's relationship ended.
He said that while Mr Hill was driving to Lancashire on the day of the arson attack, Mr HIll ignored several phone calls from his ex before pulling over and answering.
At the other end of the line was Jackie Lloyd, who was "drunk" and asking about some items she thought were on the barge, and which he claimed to have with him, telling her to keep away from the boat.
She said she'd go anyway and threatened to set the boat on fire if he didn’t give her the items - later reported by a defence barrister to have been photographs of an uncle.
During the final call, Mr Hill heard "footsteps on metal, which sounded exactly like footsteps on the deck of the barge" before she rang off.
Witnesses saw them at the barge and heard "noisy damage being caused" and shouts from both of them.
When one bystander intervened, the "evidently drunk" family pair gave a "fairly abusive response" - particularly Jackie, who was seen exiting the barge living quarter and throwing items in the water.
The two were then seen "celebrating" as fire "engulfed and completely destroyed Mr Hill’s barge", which was where he lived and contained his belongings.
Jackie Lloyd also threatened to set another witness’s house on fire afterwards after he remonstrated with them over the blaze.
She told Cheshire Police officers the barge belonged to her, adding: "I admit it, I set it on fire".
Her son then stepped in, saying: "If you’re going to arrest anyone, arrest me, I’ll take the blame."
Fire investigators established a "naked flame" caused the inferno, which caused £45,000 and completely destroyed Mr Hill’s boat, which was insured but not for fire.
But Adam and Jackie Lloyd later denied setting fire to the barge, with the son claiming it was an accident caused after 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 confronted with the damning footage filmed on the son’s phone showing them in jubilant mood in front of the flaming barge.
Noting Jackie Lloyd’s messages, remarks and "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 what happened, 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 and hadn’t been taking his tablets for about two months at the time because of side-effects.
He said Adam 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.
Mr Rawson said Jackie Lloyd was her 84-year-old father’s carer and had raised her own children, arguing there was an "expression of remorse" in her registering a guilty plea.
But this 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 jailed both Adam and Jackie Lloyd, who lived at separate addresses in Riversdale, Frodsham, to three years and four months in prison for the "truly despicable act".
He observed that 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."
