Jealous husband jailed after torching wife’s café and attacking her with knife following affair rumour

A HUSBAND burned down his wife’s café due to the fact that helium thought she was having an affair.

Butcher Paul Armstrong’s customers made the claims astir his estranged missus Pei, a court heard.

CCTV showed him pouring accelerant implicit the level of Foodelicious, which helium had paid £16,000 to acceptable up.

Last July’s blaze forced an upstairs tenant to flee.

Days earlier, Armstrong fto himself into the café with a spare key, waited for Pei, 45, past chased her with an 8in knife.

She fled and called cops.

Bournemouth crown tribunal was told helium besides took her passport and £7,000 truthful she could not sojourn household in Malaysia.

Holly Fagan, prosecuting, said: "The narration betwixt the suspect and the complainant was bully until Pei opened a café and she says this is erstwhile it started to worsen.

"She mentioned earlier Christmas (2023) that she wanted to spell backmost to Malaysia due to the fact that she had not been backmost for 8 years and she prepared to permission successful February.

"The suspect was acrophobic that she was not going to travel back.

"She hid the documents and currency nether her son's mattress. There was besides £4,000 successful the location safe, which Mr Armstrong knew about.

"On January 30 helium sent her a photograph showing that helium was successful possession of her passport, different licences and immoderate cash. She asked her to instrumentality them but helium refused.

"He aboriginal returned the documents undamaged with £1,500 currency and she received a further £2,000 connected July 16 via a slope transfer. However determination is inactive £3,500 outstanding."

Armstrong pleaded blameworthy to arson, burglary, stalking, possession of a bladed nonfiction and theft.

He was jailed for 3 years and 9 months.