A City of London employee has been charged with arson after a fire at a golf course clubhouse meant to be used for homeless people, a Crown Prosecution Service spokesperson told The Washington Post on Friday.
David Berry, a 53-year-old City of London employee who used to live in the mansion of an investment banker with access to the outside track, “incited and encouraged a member of the public to set fire to a building belonging to the City of London Corporation,” according to a statement issued by the CPS. The Crown Prosecution Service called the fire “likely to have been set deliberately and caused at considerable expense to public funds and the safety of other individuals.”
A fire ignited at St. Paul’s golf course clubhouse at 10:05 p.m. Monday. Police and firefighters evacuated the building and extinguished the fire, according to a post to social media by the City of London. The Crown Prosecution Service says the building suffered $625,000 in damage.
Berry was arrested Tuesday.
Berry is charged with arson with intent to endanger life or cause serious injury. He is scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 19.