“Chef Breaks Into Benedict Cumberbatch’s Home with Fish Knife: Arrested for Criminal Damage”

Fish knife-wielding ex-chef broke into actor Benedict Cumberbatch’s London home, reports BBC. The incident took place on May 10, but was not made public due to an investigation.

Cumberbatch, his wife and their three children were at home when 35-year-old Jack Bissell broke down the iron gate of the front garden, the Telegraph reports.

He shouted, “I know you moved here, I hope this place burns down.”

The man pleaded guilty to criminal damage at Wood Green Crown Court on May 10 and was fined £250. He was also granted a three-year restraining order barring him from approaching the Cumberbatch family and the area where they live.

Bissell, who previously worked as head chef at the Mayfair Hotel until 2020, uprooted a plant and threw it over the garden wall and spat on the intercom, which he managed to destroy using a fish knife, they said in court.

He fled the scene but was arrested after his DNA was found on the intercom, according to reports.

A source close to Cumberbatch told the Daily Mail: “Naturally the whole family were absolutely terrified and thought this man was going to come in and hurt them. Luckily he didn’t go that far. Benedict and Sophie have had a lot of sleepless nights , because they worry that they might become a target again.”

Prosecutors told the court that before his attack, Bissell bought two loaves of bread from a nearby shop and told the owner he was going to break in and set fire to the house.

It’s unclear why Bissell targeted Cumberbatch.

The chef had a previous conviction for theft, three cautions for property offences, disorderly conduct and drugs. In 2015, he was arrested during protests against military intervention in Syria in central London.

Cumberbatch is known for his roles in BBC’s Sherlock, Doctor Strange, Code Game and The Power of the Dog.

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