A man with a fish knife attacked the home of Benedict Cumberbatch | Benedict Cumberbatch

A former chef at the Mayfair Hotel destroyed the home of actor Benedict Cumberbatch and his family while brandishing a fish knife, a court has heard.

The Doctor Strange star, 46, his wife, Sophie Hunter, 45, and their three young children were inside the property in north London during the incident.

Jack Bissell opened the iron gate to the front garden, and exclaimed, “I know you moved in here, and I hope you burn,” the court was told earlier this month.

The 34-year-old, who spent two stints as chef at a five-star hotel in west London between 2017 and 2020, pulled a plant from the garden and threw it against the wall. He then spat on the property’s intercom and attacked him with a fish knife, the court heard.

The Daily Mail reported that Bissell fled the scene and was arrested after his DNA was found on an intercom. He pleaded guilty to criminal damage at Wood Green Crown Court in north London on May 10.

He was fined £250 and given a three-year restraining order to prevent him from getting close to the family and the area in which they lived.

Prosecutors told the court that before the attack, Bissell had bought two packages of pita bread from a nearby store and told the store owner he was going to break into Cumberbatch’s home and burn it down.

The Daily Mail reported that Bissell had not filed a defense in court regarding his actions.

Details of the case were prohibited from being reported until the sweeping restrictions were successfully challenged.