Man jailed for arson at the Liverpool Beatles Museum

A man has been jailed for starting a fire that damaged the Liverpool Beatles Museum in the city’s famous Matthew Street area.

Daniel Byrne, 38, of no fixed abode, made a concerted effort to set fire to rubbish outside the museum which is in the street where the original Cavern Club once stood.

The Beatles played at the club in the early 1960s and the area remains a major attraction for tourists.

Byrne was caught on CCTV around 4am on 14 July 2025 carrying a sleeping bag. He approached a bin full of rubbish at the side of the museum and made several attempts to set fire to it with his lighter.

As the flames took hold, he stood back to watch and then walked away. He looked back again a few times as he made his way up Matthew Street.

All of his actions were caught on the CCTV camera operated by City Watch, a Liverpool City Council system, operated to maintain public safety.

The emergency services were called and Byrne was arrested in the city centre a short time later.

He was questioned and admitted it was him on the CCTV and that he had started the fire deliberately.

He claimed he did it because he was being bullied by the government. He admitted that he had been drinking vodka prior to the incident.

The fire caused damage to the doors of the museum.

At a hearing at Liverpool Crown Court on 12 August 2025, he pleaded guilty to one count of arson, with recklessness as to whether life was endangered. He was sentenced at the same hearing and jailed for three-and-a-half years.

Senior Crown Prosecutor Mikayla Kitchen, of CPS Mersey-Cheshire, said: “Daniel Byrne deliberately caused a fire by the Liverpool Beatles Museum. 

"He remained at the scene to ensure it had caught fire, checking the extent of the damage as he walked away. 

"He had no regard for the lives of people he placed in danger. This sentence reflects the seriousness of his actions on that night.”

You can watch the CCTV footage of the attack via this link: https://youtu.be/G0ht3oVDp9g