Benedict Cumberbatch's home vandalized by knife-wielding chef
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A former chef reportedly vandalized actor Benedict Cumberbatch's home in London while wielding a fish knife.
Jack Bissell, a former chef at a Mayfair hotel, pleaded guilty to charges of criminal damage at Wood Green Crown Court on May 10 and was fined £250, according to the BBC. He was also hit with a three-year restraining order that prevents him from going near Cumberbatch and his family, who were all home at the time of the incident.
During a trial held earlier this month, a court was told Bissell kicked through the iron gates of the home's front garden and shouted, "I know you've moved here, I hope it burns down." The chef also reportedly threw a plant at the garden wall before spitting on the intercom and tearing it loose with a fish knife. He fled the scene but was arrested after authorities traced his DNA from the intercom, per the BBC.
Roy Rochlin/Getty Images Benedict Cumberbatch
Prosecutors also said that, prior to the incident, Bissell stopped at a nearby shop for pita bread and allegedly told the shopkeeper he was going to break into Cumberbatch's home and burn it down. It's unclear why he targeted the Sherlock actor,, as he offered no defense in court. Details of the case were prevented from being made public by the press until blanket restrictions were successfully challenged by the Daily Mail this week.
A source close to the star told Daily Mail the family was "absolutely terrified" and that Cumberbatch and wife Sophie, with whom he shares three children, "have had many sleepless nights since worrying that they may be targeted again."
Representatives for Cumberbatch didn't immediately respond to EW's request for comment.
Cumberbatch's recent credits include Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Spider-Man: No Way Home, The Electrical Life of Louis Wain, and The Power of the Dog.
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