A Warrington Guardian journalist had to turn to his friends to bail him out when he was locked up in a cell for a fundraising stunt.

Reporter Neil Docking was dragged before a court at Stockton Heath Police Station, and was only released when he had raised £500 for St Rocco’s Hospice in Warrington.

He was among the volunteers to be fingerprinted and photographed before appearing in ‘court’ charged with arson – after a small fire at work caused by a tea bag in a toaster.

Neil and fellow volunteer Audrey Venables have their collars felt by inspector Stuart Wooodcock

Neil pleaded “not guilty”, but was thrown in the cells and told he would only be released once he had raised £500 bail money.

After ringing round work colleagues, family, friends, and local businesses, he managed to get enough cash to get out of jail.

He said: “The cells were pretty grim!”

With the help of Neil’s fellow ‘rogues’, the event raised around £15,000 which will go to St Rocco’s Hospice in Warrington, which cares for patients with cancer and other life threatening illnesses in its ten-bed in-patient unit and 15-place day unit.