Woman burns husband's clothes after he starts relationship with her best friend

24 May 2024 , 10:55

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Templeton torched her estranged husband's clothes after learning of his new relationship (Image: CPS Cymru/Wales Online)

A woman set her estranged husband's clothes on fire after discovering he was in a relationship with her best friend and former sister-in-law.

Rhian Templeton ignited a heap of suits, shirts, coats and trainers that belonged to her ex-husband and then sent him a photo of the inferno. Cardiff Crown Court was told that the fire was a "revenge attack" by the 50-year-old defendant upon learning about the new relationship. The judge informed the defendant that burning the clothes in the garden was "an act of stupidity."

Prosecutor Jenny Yeo stated that the clothes were stored in the garage of their former marital home with both parties' consent after their relationship ended. On May 31, 2021, Templeton discovered that her ex had started a new relationship with her former sister-in-law, a person she had known since school and considered her best friend.

The court heard that the defendant removed clothing and footwear from the garage and set them on fire in the garden, destroying items worth approximately £900. She took a photo of the blaze and sent it to her estranged husband. Ms Yeo said the bonfire was premeditated and was a "revenge attack" by the defendant, reports Wales Online.

Rhian Templeton, of Elms Road, Raglan, Monmouthshire, denied arson saying she was just disposing of unwanted and abandoned clothes but was was found guilty at trial at Swansea Crown Court in April. She has no previous convictions.

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Hilary Roberts, for Templeton, said the couple were going through a bitter and tortuous separation and divorce. He said the fire had been a "spontaneous act" and the "trigger" had been the shattering news that her husband had started a relationship with her former sister-in-law and best friend.

The barrister said while arson was a very serious offence which carried a maximum of a life sentence in his submission the case before the court involved a bonfire in a back garden which did not pose a risk to persons or other property. He invited the court to regard it as "criminal damage by fire" which came nowhere near the custody threshold.

Recorder Victoria Hillier told Templeton that setting the fire and been "an act of stupidity." The defendant was given a 12-month community order and must do 60 hours of unpaid work and complete a rehabilitation course.

Rom Preston-Ellis