A man in Oxfordshire has been jailed after threatening to burn down a nightclub full of people, all because they didn’t sell the drink he wanted.
Michael Day, from Wantage, was apparently so angered by the nightclub not having Red Bull he wanted he threatened to burn the place down.
The 38-year-old reportedly threw a canister of petrol at the venue, which was full of people, before flicking a lighter and shouting: ‘I’m going to burn every last one of you,’ after staff told him they didn’t sell Red Bull.
The incident happened at the Shush nightclub in Wantage, when the 38-year-old apparently asked staff for a Red Bull, but was served an alternative drink instead. Staff then explained the club didn’t sell that particular brand of energy drink, which is when Day became aggressive, before being thrown out of the club.
At Day’s sentencing this week, the court heard how the 38-year-old turned up at the nightclub on April 28, despite being banned. After being thrown out, CCTV footage shows Day later returning to the venue carrying a 20-litre plastic container, partly filled with petrol.
As he got near to the club entrance he was seen throwing it towards the door. Day then launched himself towards the entrance of the club and in the path of door staff.
Petrol was spilt on to the ground and also over the clothing of some of the staff. The court heard it was at this point Day was seen to flick a lighter and heard to scream death threats.
Day, who also had a cigarette in his mouth, shouted, ‘I am going to burn every last one of you’ and he said he would ‘burn them all’.
There were 177 revellers inside the club that night, and as the smell of fumes wafted inside they had to be evacuated.
Day was arrested and he told officers he had drank up to seven Corona bottles and had never intended to start a fire but wanted to ‘scare people’.
In mitigation, his defence barrister said Day couldn’t remember the incident.
Day was set to stand trial for the incident at the nightclub, but later admitted to attempted arson and two counts of making threats to kill.
Judge Maria Lamb called the episode ‘terrifying’ and jailed him for five years and two months.
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Charlie Cocksedge is a journalist and sub-editor at UNILAD. He graduated from the University of Manchester with an MA in Creative Writing, where he learnt how to write in the third person, before getting his NCTJ. His work has also appeared in such places as The Guardian, PN Review and the bin.