Burnley nightclub MAC's was 'torched by neighbouring venue'

A fire caused by Jordan Schofield in MACs nightclub, Burnley, caused serious damage in September of 2019, but that didn’t stop him from going back less than two months later in a bid to cause even more devastation.

Burnley Crown Court heard how the 22-year-old had been hired by the owners of Mode nightclub situated on Hammerton Street in the town before he became aware of the fact there was ‘bad blood’ between the two venues.

Defending Schofield, Mark Stuart said the Rossendale man had been employed in a ‘very lowly capacity’ before he was befriended by the owners.

He said: “Over a period of time, it became obvious that there was some bad blood between the two premises and that my client’s employer wanted to do something about it.”

Mr Stuart went on to say it was not ‘without significance’ that Schofield had been accompanied by another man while buying the cans of petrol and an angle grinder, despite carrying out the attacks on his own.

Prosecuting the case, David Traynor explained how MACs was broken into during the early hours of September 26 before fuel was poured all over the bar and DJ stand and set alight.

On that occasion Schofield escaped without being caught, but that wasn’t the case less than two months later when he was seen trying to gain access to the club for a second time, by using an angle grinder in the middle of the night.

Mr Traynor said: “At 3am November 20, James Gibb was asleep in accommodation above the Illuminati nightclub. He was awoken by a loud noise which sounded like an electrical tool.

“When Mr Gibb looked out of the window, he saw a man running away carrying a bag. He seemed to be the same man that Mr Gibb had been shown CCTV footage of from the earlier incident on the 26th of September.

“He called the police and then pursued the man towards Mode nightclub. Fortunately, he saw the police and he was able to direct them towards where he had seen the man.”

Shortly later officers found Schofield hiding inside of Mode which the court heard he had been using as a base.

He was arrested with a search of the area revealing a holdall containing four jerry cans of petrol, gloves, and angle grinder and a cap with a torch fixed to the peak.

During his police interview Schofield denied having an attachment to Mode nightclub, instead claiming he had been intending to break-in a rob the rival venue.

He also denied having any involvement with the original arson.

Mr Traynor said: “The Crown do not accept that the motive for this offending was one of theft.

“The prosecution say that this appears to have been an incident targeted towards a rival nightclub.

“The defendant appears to have been using Mode as his base, with MAC’s being a rival nightclub nearby and so the inference is that the purpose of these incidents was to cause damage to the rival.

“That ties in with what the defendant has said in his letter.”

During mitigation, Mr Stuart went on to explain how his client, of Compston Avenue, Rawtenstall, had been a 19-year-old of good character at the time of the crime.

He said: “This incident took place during a very low ebb in his life. 

“It was against that background, a wrongful wish to appease his employer and a desire to get his mother out of financial difficulties, he agreed to do this.”

Mr Stuart continued: “It is not only out of character but highly unlikely to be repeated.

“It is now some considerable time since the offence. He has been on bail throughout and there has been no suggestion that he has committed any further offences.

“He is just now 22 years of age. He has had time to reflect upon matters.”

While it was accepted in court that Schofield was working on behalf of others, no charges have been pressed against anybody else and the investigation has come to a close.

Jailing him for 47 months for one count of arson, one count of attempted arson and one count of going equipped for burglary, Judge Sara Dodd said: “The insurance paid out a significant amount for the first arson but this had an ongoing effect on business for the owners of MACs.

“Andrew Macdonald sets out the ongoing effect this had on the business and he describes the fire as having broken his heart.

“The fact his premises was attacked for a second time only added to his worries.

“Because you and your employer were not satisfied with your efforts, you went again.

“You had help in your preparations – buying the petrol and a £300 angle grinder. You were not able to afford to pay for those things. I accept that you admitted those offences at the first opportunity.

“There is no sentence that I can pass that will undo the damage to Mr MacDonald.”

After the court case, Mr MacDonald described how the incident had left him ‘utterly devastated’ and questioning his future in the industry.

He said: “The fire was set just two weeks after I’d reopened following a refurbishment.

“On the morning of the fire I was woken at 4.30am and had to go down to the club.

To see all the damage and the police and fire service there was awful – it made me feel sick. We’re now looking to move on.

“Our plan is to carry on with our plans and keep going. We won’t be defeated by this.”