A businessman who vowed to sue his architect friend over renovations at his £3.5million mansion probably didn’t have designs on the reaction his legal threat triggered, a court heard.
For Christopher Chapman responded by dousing his client’s £67,000 Range Rover in petrol and setting it alight.
The 67-year-old then sent Robb Simms-Davies a letter which read: ‘Withdraw proceedings or your family will never be safe from that “tragic accident”. If you don’t, the ultimate price will be paid.’
His visits to the home in Warfield, Berkshire, were caught on CCTV.
‘There was a dispute over work done, payment and allegations of negligence,’ prosecutor Anne-Marie Critchley said. ‘It resulted in Mr Chapman receiving a letter on March 6, 2021, from a solicitor. That evening, he attended the claimant’s address. In CCTV, he can be seen dousing the Range Rover in petrol and leaving a trail, which he ignited.