7:01 am, March 5, 2021
A man has denied destroying seven cars at a used car dealership in Plymouth in an arson attack.
The alleged incident took place soon after 1am on December 9 at Platinum Car Centre.
Stephen Ready, of Lancaster Gardens, Whitleigh, was detained earlier this week and charged with arson but denied the offence when he appeared at Plymouth Magistrates’ Court on March 2, reported Plymouth Live.
He was remanded in custody and will have a case management hearing at the city’s crown court on April 12.
Seven vehicles including a Range Rover Evoque were reportedly damaged in the blaze, which business owner James Alford told Plymouth Live at the time had caused damage costing £100,000.
The dealership moved to the site in Ham Drive, Peverell, in February 2020, and Alford said he’d built the business up just as the lockdown had started.
He added that he’d been alerted to the fire by landlords of the pub nearby, and praised fire crews as well as police.
Ready will be appearing at the magistrates’ court again on March 8 to face several other charges.
The 39-year-old is charged with stealing £52.45 of sausages, bacon and alcohol from the Co-op in Morshead Road on February 22 plus the theft of an undisclosed amount of cash from the Embassy Social and Snooker Club in Wolseley Road on September 20, 2020.
He is also accused of making off without paying for £68.66 of unspecified goods from Saltash on December 9, 2020.
In addition, he will face four charges of driving a vehicle without a licence and four of driving without insurance.
