Man to deny arson over fire at Star at Harome

Charles Birkett will plead not guilty to arson over a fire which caused more than £2m of damage to Andrew Pern’s Michelin-starred Star Inn at Harome, a court has heard.

Birkett appeared at Scarborough Magistrates’ Court on Monday (14 August) after being charged in connection with the blaze at the thatched 14th-century property near Helmsley, North Yorkshire, in November 2021.

The 28-year-old, from Helmsley, spoke only to confirm his name, address and date of birth during the brief hearing.

Birkett was not asked to enter a plea to the charge of arson with recklessness as to whether property would be destroyed or life endangered, but his solicitor Damien Morrison indicated that he would be pleading not guilty.

The defendant was granted unconditional bail until his next appearance at York Crown Court on 18 September.

No-one was injured in the blaze, which took nine fire crews many hours to bring under control.

The Star Inn reopened last year, a year after the fire, with insurance covering the cost of rebuilding the Grade I-listed building exactly as it was.

Pern originally opened the pub in 1996 and in 2002 it became the second-ever gastropub to win a Michelin star.

The team won Menu of the Year at the 1997 Cateys and the Newcomer Award the following year, and Andrew and Jacquie Pern won Pub and Bar Operator of the Year in the 2002 Cateys.