Steeped in history with its walnut-panelled library, Jacobean oak staircase and secret passageways, Bochym Manor seemed to be the ultimate dream home.
At least that is what Martin and Sarah Caton thought when they bought the Grade II*-listed Cornish property for £1.5 million.
But on entering the gates as the owners of the ten-bedroom gothic-revival house, which dates back to the Domesday Book, their dream descended into a nightmare.
After agreeing the sale, they found former owner Dr Mark Payne had stripped the building bare, with local workmen pulling out doors, windows, floors, fireplaces and even its plumbing and electrics.
Historic stained-glass windows had been taken, as had three of the four baths and part of the library’s rich wood panelling, carved by the Bond Street firm that rebuilt the Houses of Parliament.
Martin and Sarah Caton bought the Grade II*-listed Cornish property for £1.5 million
Steeped in history with its walnut-panelled library, Jacobean oak staircase and secret passageways, Bochym Manor seemed to be the ultimate dream home
A brochure picture showed the French Empire Drawing room of the property in all its splendour
Surveyor images showing damage at Bochym Manor. Part of the library’s rich wood panelling was taken
Mark Payne at the property, pictured with a key from the manor in a newspaper cutting from 2008
Not content with stripping the manor, Dr Payne had also taken the staircase from the estate’s clock tower as well as gutting the 13 holiday homes that came with the estate, near Helston.
Such was the scale of the operation that the entrance pillar at the end of the drive had been knocked down to allow builders’ trucks in to lift the timeless interiors.
‘I was distraught,’ said Mr Caton, a vet and entrepreneur. ‘It was like a warzone or like a tornado had shredded the place. He took pretty much every door handle, tiles off the wall, the locks were removed.
‘There was some very random and bizarre destruction. I don’t understand the mentality behind it – it’s staggering that you can be that cruel actually.’
The couple both had an intuition that something ‘wasn’t quite right’ before they got the last key when Dr Payne made excuses to prevent them visiting the property.
But they ignored their doubts. ‘When I saw it for the first time, all my worst fears came true,’ said Mr Caton. ‘I wanted to close the door, walk away and put it back on the market and never come back.’
The couple – who dreamed of turning the estate into a wedding venue and holiday cottages – estimate that they have been forced to spend a further £1.5 million repairing the properties they purchased in 2014.
The couple both had an intuition that something ‘wasn’t quite right’ before they got the last key when Dr Payne made excuses to prevent them visiting the property
The couple estimate that they have been forced to spend a further £1.5 million repairing the properties they purchased in 2014
The damage to one of the carved fireplaces at Bochym Manor was pictured by surveyors
The gutted staff kitchen of the historic property was pictured by surveyors
As soon as the Catons discovered the damage, they reported it to the police and Cornwall Council.
Sellers are not allowed to take fixtures and fittings – items that are attached to the property – without consent from the buyers.
They also need permission from the local authority to take fixtures from a listed building.
The police arrested Dr Payne on suspicion of theft, criminal damage and offences within the Planning Act at his new home in Cumbria and recovered a small number of items in April 2015.
But he was released without charge when the council dropped the prosecution fearing that they would not be able to prove he had caused the damage.
Mr and Mrs Caton then set about using historic photographs to prove what had been taken and presented it to Cornwall Council.
Brochure image. Steeped in history with its walnut-panelled library Bochym Manor seemed to be the ultimate dream home
Historic stained-glass windows had been taken from the property when it was stripped
The authority hired an external lawyer who advised the council that they had ‘ample evidence’ to bring a prosecution – but still they refused.
‘It’s odd that if we were to change a small window without permission they will come after you, but if you destroy a house you are allowed to drive away with no consequences,’ said Mr Caton.
The police kept the items they had seized, and when the criminal prosecution collapsed there was a hearing under the Police Property Act to determine who owned them.
In the Jacobean drawing room with the mantlepiece supports recently returned
The firehood in the historic drawing room was also removed. The room has now been restored
Finally, in March, after nine years of fighting, the items were returned to the Catons after Dr Payne failed to appear or supply any evidence at Truro Magistrates’ Court.
Dr Payne told The Mail on Sunday he is appealing against the ruling. He had been debarred from appearing having produced no evidence, but also said it was an ‘inconvenient’ 1,000-mile round trip for him.
The former Economist journalist added: ‘Had I committed any criminal damage, had I committed any theft, had I committed any offences under the Planning Act, I would have been prosecuted.
‘Otherwise, everything is just hearsay, innuendo and suspicion.’
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