Arson attack on former Liverpool star's abandoned mansion turned cannabis farm

A fire that ripped through the former mansion of ex-Liverpool star Jermaine Pennant is being treated as arson by police.

Pennant's abandoned property had been converted into a cannabis farm. Now officers are investigating after a blaze broke out at the detached home which he bought for just over £1million in 2006.

Firefighters fought the flames through the night after arriving at the scene in Hale Road, Speke, Cheshire, close to Liverpool's John Lennon Airport at around 9.55pm on Monday October 10. A portable pump was used to get water to the fire from a nearby swimming pool. And an aerial appliance was also used to douse the roof with the fire being described as 'well developed'.

Cheshire Police have confirmed the fire is being treated as deliberate, with Detective Constable Rich Gray, of Widnes CID adding they were aware the address has 'attracted a lot of attention'.

The property been empty since 2020 when the ex-footballer, who also played for Arsenal, Birmingham, Stoke and Wolves, amongst others, split from glamour girl Alice Goodwin, after a string of cheating allegations.

It had been the subject of a drugs warrant carried out earlier this year where they discovered a cannabis farm and seized multiple plants. A 35-year-old man was arrested and released under investigation before being transferred to West Midlands Police.

Officers received further intelligence of a cannabis farm at the same property in September but no plants were found during their search.

The scale of the latest cannabis farm was revealed on social media by an urban explorer who filmed himself wandering around the five-bedroom mansion.

Detective Constable Gray said: "We are aware that this address has attracted a lot of attention recently following the discovery of a cannabis farm in the property in September. A man was subsequently arrested in relation to the discovery, and he has since been passed to another force.

"We are currently in the early stages of this investigation and at this time, we believe that this fire has been started deliberately. Officers believe that the property was unoccupied at the time of the blaze and no injuries have been reported to us.

"As part of our investigation we are keen to hear from anyone who was in the Hale Road area between 6.30pm and 10pm and believes that they may have witnessed anything suspicious. The same goes for anyone with any video footage which may be relevant to the investigation."

Since retiring from football, Pennant has appeared on 2018 Celebrity Big Brother and dating show Celebs Go Dating. He has now signed up for the next series of Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins. Pennant, who helped the Stoke City reach the FA Cup final, split from former wife Alice, after nine years together and nearly six years married.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Cheshire Police at Cheshire.Police.uk or on 101, quoting incident number 1385862.

Information can also be reported anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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