Groom Jailed For Setting Wedding Venue Ablaze

No one injured in fire that caused millions in damage

You may now kiss the bride – and proceed directly to jail.

A newlywed property developer and father of four was sentenced to six years behind bars after pleading guilty to drunkenly setting his U.K. wedding venue ablaze over a dispute about his bar tab.

Max Kay, 37, was accused of taking a cigarette lighter from a bartender and setting fire to curtains inside the Peckforton Castle Hotel in Cheshire, England as his new bride and her family slept upstairs, SkyNews reported.

Kay was identified on surveillance footage that captured the crime that caused about $9.4 million in damage, according to SkyNews.

No one was injured in the fire, though the hotel’s 200 guests were forced to evacuate.

The prosecution had argued that the attack was revenge for hotel staff having threatened to cancel his reception reservation three days in advance of the wedding unless he paid an outstanding balance of £15,000 ($23,781).

Kay’s property business had failed during the financial crisis and he was said in the trial to be under “enormous financial pressure,” SkyNews reported.

It's probably safe to say the honeymoon has been postponed.
 

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