Couple buy £1,500,000 mansion to find seller has ripped out these vital features | UK news

A couple were horrified to find the stunning property they bought for £1.5million had been stripped of its most valuable assets by the previous owner.

Martin and Sarah Caton were in a frenzy when they closed the deal on their new Grade II* listed Cornish mansion.

Bochym Manor came with a gorgeous Jacobean oak staircase, a walnut paneled library and an incredible history dating back to the Domesday Book.

The ten-bedroom Gothic Revival home even boasted secret passageways, historic stained glass windows, and came with 13 beautiful vacation homes as part of the property.

Everything about her was the stuff of dreams.

But when the couple set foot inside for the first time since buying the property, elation quickly turned to devastation.

They discovered that the previous owner, Dr. Mark Payne, had torn out doors, windows, fireplaces, floors, gutters, and even the plumbing and electrical.

Three of the four bathrooms were gone and the magnificent stained glass windows had been removed, as had some of the paneling in the library, which had been carved by the same firm that rebuilt the Houses of Parliament.

It wasn’t just the mansion that was stripped: the holiday homes were completely gutted and the staircase from the property’s clock tower was ripped out by workmen hired by Dr Payne.

To make room for builders to get their trucks in and out as the historic house was torn to pieces, the entrance pillar at the end of the road was also torn down.

Mr Caton said: “I was angry. It was like a war zone or a tornado had torn the place apart. He took almost every door handle, tiles from the wall, the locks were removed.

“There were some very random and bizarre destructions. I don’t understand the mentality behind it – it’s amazing that you can be so cruel.

Both Mr Caton, a vet and entrepreneur, and his wife suspected something was “not quite right” before they were given the final key to the mansion near Helston after Dr Payne made excuses to keep them from coming to he sees him.

Despite feeling bad about the deal, they went ahead with the sale in an attempt to fulfill their dream of turning the estate into holiday cottages and a wedding venue.

Describing the moment they first saw him, Mr Caton admitted that all their “worst fears” had come true.

He told the Mail on Sunday last year: “I wanted to close the door, walk away and put it back on the market and never come back.”

The couple estimate they had to pay a further £1.5million to repair the damage to the properties they bought in 2014.

They reported the damage to the police and Cornwall Council as soon as they discovered it, sparking a nine-year legal battle.

Sellers are prohibited from taking any items attached to the property, such as fixtures and fittings, without the buyers consent.

Local authorities must also grant permission for light fixtures to be removed from a listed building.

Dr Payne was arrested on suspicion of theft, criminal damage and Planning Act offenses at his new home in Cumbria by police, who recovered a small number of items in April 2015.

The board dropped the case due to fears it would not be able to prove Dr Payne caused the injury and he was released without charge.

Mr and Mrs Caton used historical photographs to show what the property looked like when they agreed to buy it and to prove what had been done.

They presented their case again to the council, who were advised by an outside lawyer they had hired that they had “ample evidence” to prosecute.

But the council still refused to prosecute Dr Payne – something Mr Caton still cannot understand.

He added: “It’s strange that if we were to change a small window without permission they would come after you, but if you destroy a house you are allowed to leave without consequence.”

In March this year, after fighting the case for nine years, the removed items were finally returned to the Catons after Dr Payne failed to provide evidence or appear at Truro Magistrates’ Court for a hearing under the Police Property Act to determine who owns them.

This article was first published on April 26, 2024.

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