Teenagers sentenced for arson attack on old chapel
Michael WilkinsonThree teenagers have been sentenced for starting a fire at a Grade II listed building.
Firefighters spent hours tackling the blaze at the former Wesley Chapel, on Victoria Road, Hartlepool, on 7 November 2023.
A 16-year-old and two 15-year-old boys admitted arson when they appeared at Teesside Magistrates' Court in January, but said they did not intend to start the fire.
They were each given a 12-month referral order to work with the youth justice team and ordered to pay a £26 victim surcharge.
The teenagers, who cannot be named because of their age, had been smoking cigarettes in the building site, which started the fire accidentally, the court heard.
The former Methodist church was undergoing a multimillion-pound redevelopment to turn it into a boutique hotel at the time of the fire.
'Genuine remorse'
A victim personal statement read to the court from developers Jomast said more than £200,000 of damage was caused to the site, and the blaze had delayed the project by 12 months.
Sentencing the teenagers, District Judge Mallon said it was a very serious offence, but the "remorse in this case is genuine".
She also highlighted the boys ages at the time of the offence, with two of them aged 14 and one aged 15.
Developers have said they will continue with plans to convert the building into a hotel.
Hartlepool Borough Council said the "new-look" Wesley Chapel was scheduled to open its doors in early 2026.
The chapel, built in 1873, was also damaged in a fire in 2017.