Richard Fielding: The arsonist murderer
The crimes of Richard Fielding are highly shocking, fuelled by jealousy, and stained with unwarranted hatred.
Four generations of the same family were killed in a fire started by Fielding, including young children, their grandmother, and even their great-grandmother.
Join us at Crime+Investigation as we investigate Richard Fielding's crime, including the motive for his appalling crimes and remembering his victims.
Who is Richard Fielding?
Hailing from Walthamstow in East London, Richard Fielding was born in 1978. He was an aspiring disc jockey, though he was unemployed when he committed his crimes. He also wanted to be a male model.
Fielding suffered from severe mental health issues, which were later diagnosed as schizophrenia.
The crimes of Richard Fielding
On 6th March 1999, Fielding went to the home of an old school friend named Lee Day in the middle of the night. He cycled to the home on Bellamy Road, Chingford, northeast London with a plastic canister filled with petrol.
Fielding proceeded to pour petrol through the letterbox and ignited it, setting fire to the family home. The fire led to the deaths of seven people, including Fielding’s target Lee. The other victims included four generations of Lee’s family, ranging from age 2 to age 76.
The victims of the arson attack were:
- Lee Day: age 22
- Yvonne Colverhouse (Lee’s girlfriend): age 17
- Maddison and Rhiannon Day (Lee’s twin daughters): age 3
- Reece Day (Lee’s son): age 2
- Sandra Day (Lee’s mother): age 50
- Kathleen Day (Lee’s grandmother): age 76
A post-mortem was performed on the victims, and it was discovered that all of them died via smoke inhalation.
The only family member in the household who survived was 52-year-old Brian Day, Lee’s father. Brian managed to escape the fire thanks to the help of neighbours. He suffered only from burns to his hand.
The mother of the three young children – 21-year-old Kelly Himpfen – had separated from Lee, so she was not in the house at the time of the fire.
The motive
The motives behind Fielding's attack aren’t entirely clear, but his mental state plays a large role in the speculation surrounding his actions.
The biggest catalyst leading up to the attack was Fielding's mental health issues. The paranoia he had led him to be resentful of Lee. He believed Lee was responsible for his failure to become a famous disc jockey and model.
Fielding also held a grudge against Lee after a burglary that the two had attempted several years beforehand (Lee was a partner in crime to Fielding in their earlier life) led to a severe hand injury.
Fielding blamed Lee for the injury and the botched burglary, further fuelling his hatred. He also believed that his hand injury had made him unattractive to women, something that he once again blamed Lee for.
The verdict
Fielding was arrested 11 days after the arson attack when his fingerprints were found on the petrol canister.
Despite being charged with murder, Richard Fielding pleaded guilty to manslaughter on 15th May 2000. He pleaded on the grounds of diminished responsibility due to his mental illnesses.
This plea was accepted and Fielding was sentenced to indefinite detainment - via the Mental Health Act - at the Rampton Secure Hospital in Nottinghamshire.
This high-security psychiatric hospital is one of only three in Great Britain, with the others being Broadmoor Hospital in Berkshire and Ashworth Hospital in Merseyside.
As of 2025, it is unclear whether Richard Fielding remains a patient at Rampton Secure Hospital, as there is no information available publicly regarding his detainment. However, due to how severe and disturbing his crimes were, he is likely still being kept in secure detention, even if he is no longer at Rampton.
Remembering the victims
Lee Day and six other members of his family were the tragic victims of this baseless crime. The innocent family members caught up in a personal conflict mixed in with severe mental health issues paid the ultimate price. However, they will always be remembered and survived by Lee’s father Brian, and Kelly, the mother of Reece, Rhiannon, and Maddison.
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