Teen arsonist avoids prison for £15m Keighley mill fire

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 26 Oct, 17:02 · Archive

A teenager convicted of arson that caused £15 million damage to a historic Keighley mill has been handed a suspended sentence.

McKenzie Mottram, now 20, was sentenced at Bradford Crown Court to 18 months in custody suspended for two years. He and Keaton Greenman were convicted of arson following a trial at Bradford Youth Court in August 2024 for a fire at Dalton Mills on 3 March 2022. Both were aged 15 at the time and students at Keighley College's pupil referral unit.

On the morning of the fire, the pair left college and entered the Grade II*-listed mill through an unsecured window. Videos from their mobile phones, downloaded by police, showed them exploring the building and finding a small fire. Greenman fed the fire with pieces of a polystyrene gargoyle, possibly left behind by a film crew. The prosecutor said Greenman could be seen kicking polystyrene towards the fire to increase its intensity. The fire caused an estimated £15 million in damage.

The judge found that Mottram had been 'led on' by Greenman and acted impulsively, noting that it was Greenman who had set the fire and added combustible material to increase its potency, not Mottram. Greenman remains in youth custody. His sentencing has been adjourned to a later date in 2027, as he also faces being sentenced for three counts of rape.

How it is being reported

• Video shows start of £15m Keighley mill fire as arsonist discovers his punishmentThe pair were convicted of arson after a trial.Keighley News · 26 Oct, 16:03
• Video shows start of £15 million mill fire as arsonist discovers his punishmentThe pair were convicted of arson after a trial.Telegraph & Argus · 26 Oct, 15:45

In this story: McKenzie Mottram · Keaton Greenman · Dalton Mills · Keighley · Bradford Crown Court

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