A SPATE of misfortune and a suspected arson attack has left one 72-year-old man in a care home without a house to return to.

David Benyon, now living in Southland Residential Home, Bridgerule, owned the property that was on fire on the outskirts of Bude on May 31.

The initial fire report referred to the building as ‘a derelict bungalow on Bagbury Road’, as previously reported by the Post.

However, the property, which is now a shell due to the fire, was in fact a house and was not derelict — as Mr Benyon explained he had put much of his time and effort in keeping the property tidy.

According to Mr Benyon, he has been the unfortunate victim of a variety of different problems, that he feels ‘has led up to the destruction of his home.’ It all started with a Land Rover Discovery he bought — which he said he was never given a key fob for.

However, he was able to open the door using the key, which would have worked indefinitely unless his car battery died. This inevitably did happen, leaving Mr Benyon without access to his vehicle. After a long winded process, contacting various manufacturers to help him resolve the issue, he was finally offered a replacement.

Before he could act upon this offer, the car was burnt-out, which Mr Benyon believes to be an act of vandalism.

After this incident, Mr Benyon explained Cornwall Council got in touch with him, to clear up the remaining debris.

To keep neighbours and the council happy, Mr Benyon purchased an industrial vacuum to clear away the broken glass and other parts that had littered the ground. Once he had cleaned up the mess, another incident occurred. Mr Benyon explained someone had fly-tipped a trailer of old branches onto his land — leaving him to clear the mess, again.

He said: “One day I worked like a horse to clear it up, carrying them all down to a bonfire at the bottom of my garden.”

He explained he had worked until midnight carrying the fly-tipped logs. He then had his supper and went to bed. The next morning he took a turn for the worse. He was unable to move out of bed and subsequently was forced to call the emergency services. He described his speech as being slurred and knew something wasn’t right. A member of the fire service broke into the property and two paramedics attended the scene also. After being taken to hospital it came to light that he had suffered a stroke.

Later he was discharged into a care home for his recovery.

According to Mr Benyon, a year after the health incident, he had been informed that his home was being used as a ‘drinking den’.

He explained: “I thought whatever is going to happen next? I need to get home and protect it from people using it! I even went online and bought a stab proof vest.”

However, he never got around to returning due to the DVLA revoking his driving licence. Then the fire took place on May 31. The house was subject to a suspected arson attack and has left the 72 year-old without a home.

Mr Benyon said: “I just want my house back. I want to be able to get my licence back and be able to head home. I’m very upset about it all. I don’t even know where to begin.”

Mike Tremellen, group manager for the Cornwall Fire Rescue Service, explained what had been the cause of the fire. He said: “As far as anything new, there is no further update.

“Following the fire report it is most likely that the cause was deliberate ignition.

“Considerable structural damage was done to the house. Most of it, if not all of it.

“It is difficult to tell how the fire originated. But a thorough investigation into the circumstance that occurred, indicated a deliberate ignition.”

Mr Tremellen explained, after the house fire had subsided the fire crew left the scene and handed it over to Devon and Cornwall Police to cordon and organise the security of the facility.

A spokesperson for Devon and Cornwall Police said: “Police are investigating a suspicious fire at a property in St Anne’s Hill in Bude on May 31.

“The fire started at the empty property sometime between 2pm and 3.10pm.

“It is being treated as arson at this time. Anyone who saw or heard any suspicious activity around the address at the time of the offence is asked to contact police via [email protected] or on 101, quoting log reference CR/048366/19.”

The police are also appealing for information on the Land Rover fire on May 16, 2017. A spokesperson said: “The vehicle was destroyed by fire. A small trailer was also damaged by the fire.

“No arrests were made at the time.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact police quoting log reference CR/037591/17.