A hotelier dubbed ‘the female Basil Fawlty’ has written from prison where she is on remand accused of arson – and dubbed it HMP Butlins.
Shirley Bothroyd, 59, — who is renowned for her rants at guests — says she is ‘clear of booze’ and enjoying her time behind bars.
She runs the Bay Hotel in Teignmouth, Devon, just down the road from the Torquay setting of John Cleese’s all-time comedy great.
In recent months she has had a torrid time with several visits from the police and on one occasion was out of her £1.5 million hotel by officers.
Bothroyd was arrested after a row with the neighbours and denied several charges in magistrates court
Most recently she was arrested on suspicion of arson, after a nearby block of flats she had visited caught alight.
She is awaiting trial and being held in Eastwood Park womens’ prison in Gloucestershire from where she sent a letter to her local paper headed ‘Greetings from HMP Butlins!’
In her letter she declares ‘I am fine!’, and states that she is using the gym and library, gardening and cooking.
Shirley Bothroyd, 59, was arrested outside the Bay Hotel in Teignmouth in the early hours of Wednesday morning after a fire
Bizarrely she says her food and drink is not being ‘spiked with crack cocaine anymore’.
She also adds she is ‘clear of booze’, and has stopped smoking.
Bothroyd was initially arrested in August and a witness to the incident said: ‘There was a small fire at a property in South View opposite the Bay Hotel.
‘Shirley had been at the property numerous times during the afternoon hurling abuse at residents.
‘She was arrested from the Bay Hotel later in the evening.’
A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police said at the time: ‘Police notified of a suspicious fire at a block of flats in South View, Teignmouth, which happened between 00.15am and 00.30am on Wednesday 23 August.
Bothroyd was initially arrested in August and a witness to the incident said: ‘There was a small fire at a property in South View opposite the Bay Hotel. Above: the first arrest
‘A burning envelope had been pushed through the letterbox of one of the flats, causing a small fire in the hallway.
‘The fire was quickly extinguished by fire service.
‘A 59-year-old woman from Teignmouth has been arrested on suspicious of arson with intent to endanger life.
‘She remains in custody in Torquay.’
Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.