Arsonist linked to £250k boat blaze and Harwich spree through crime-scene footprint

Christopher Parker, 34, from Harwich, who has been jailed for arson after he was caught from footprints he left at the crime scene. Credit: Essex Police
Christopher Parker, 34, from Harwich, who has been jailed for arson after he was caught from footprints he left at the crime scene. Credit: Essex Police

An arsonist who caused £250,000 worth of damage to an historic boat has been jailed thanks to footprints he left at the crime scene.

Christopher Parker, 34, started the fire at the 1958 LV18 manned lightship moored at Harwich Quay in Essex on 2 February.

The LV18 fire was part of an arson spree in Harwich caused by Parker on the same evening including damage to a van on Station Approach and the inside of Harwich Transportation Railway and Shipping Museum.

The boat, owned by the Pharos Trust, was used as a base for community activities and had been preserved and lovingly restored.

As well as holding artefacts it was also home to digital radio studios and equipment worth £40,000 in recognition of the boat's history of hosting pirate radio sessions.

  • A video showing the damaged LV18 lightship taken in February 2024

Parker, of Alexandra Street in Harwich, was arrested two days after the arson attacks after Essex Police matched up footprints taken from near the boat and at the museum to his shoes.

CCTV footage also helped identify the arsonist, who was jailed for five years at Chelmsford Crown Court in June.

He admitted three charges of arson.

The fire-damaged LV18 manned lightship in Harwich in February 2024. Credit: Essex Police

Judge Wilkin told Parker the fires had caused "deep and long-lasting impact".

In a victim impact statement, Tony O'Neil, from the Pharos Trust, who spent 24 years working restoring the LV18 boat, said: "Initially the shock of the incident was numbed by what we saw.

"That is going to stay with me for a long time. I can’t put it into words how much this project means to me or the community of Harwich.

"The ship has a vast history which has all gone up in smoke."

The fire damage at the LV18 vessel in Harwich after an arson attack in February 2024. Credit: Essex Police

Det Con Ben Stammers, from Clacton CID, said: "Parker’s actions in starting these fires were utterly reckless.

"He has failed to offer an explanation for his actions.

"His actions have had a huge impact, in particular on a valued and irreplaceable community asset in the LV18 lightboat.

"While those who operate the boat will work tirelessly to see it restored, nothing will return the hours of hard work they have put into maintaining this piece of history."

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