A trooper who deserted the Household Cavalry was caught nearly a decade later after he appeared on Channel 4 renovating a £890,000 French chateau.
Billy Petherick (33), was absent without leave. He started a new life abroad in France in 2009 and married a local lady.
He was unable to escape the past when he appeared on Escape To The Chateau: DIY’s first season. This spin-off of the popular Escape To The Chateau series, is now his last.
When the programme was broadcast in 2018 the Army was finally able to pinpoint his exact address – the Chateau de la Basmaignee in the Pays de la Loire, which boasts royal ties to Louis XIV and has its own lake.
Bulford Military Court, Wiltshire, was informed this week by Petherick that he had left the Household Cavalry in 2009. They guard the Queen and were never seen again.
Captain Daniel Lawlor, prosecuting, said Petherick’s stepsister had died that year and he had been bullied by colleagues as a result.
Billy Petherick (33), was absent without leave. He started a new life abroad in France in 2009 and married a local lady.
The Army was finally able to pinpoint his exact address in 2018 – the Chateau de la Basmaignee in the Pays de la Loire, which boasts royal ties to Louis XIV and has its own lake.
‘Trooper Petherick was absent without leave from July 2, 2009, to September 21, 2021, and intended to remain absent without leave,’ he said.
‘Trooper Petherick has since moved to France, where he lives permanently, and is married with two children. Through inheritance money he and his wife have started a business in France.’
The court heard Petherick fled to start a ‘changed’ life in France, where his parents lived. Gwendoline Mochel was his first love and he married her.
When the couple bought the chateau in 2016, using a bequest from Mrs Petherick’s late mother, it had no electricity, no running water and 90 rotten windows. Petherick, along with Michael, set out to make it happen, starting their own bed-and-breakfast business.
According to the court, he was located by French authorities in 2014. Three years later, an arrest warrant was issued.
Petherick finally found his location in 2018. A British Army official approached Petherick, persuading him to come back to Britain.
Petherick was detained in August after he returned to the UK. It is not clear why Petherick was delayed in returning to the UK. The following month, he was charged with being AWOL and appeared before Portsmouth Magistrates Court.
‘After his absence of 12 years, his unit has no intention for him to return,’ Captain Lawlor said. Petherick was convicted of one desertion charge and dismissed from military service, though he avoided prison.
Sentencing the former soldier, Judge Advocate Robert Hill said: ‘You have no interest in the Army and the Army has no interest in having you back.’
Chateau de la Basmaignee is described by Channel 4 as consisting of six floors with 22 bedrooms.
This parkland includes more than 60 acres, including a forest and tennis court. There is also a chapel for private use.
Bulford Military Court, Wiltshire, was informed this week by Petherick that he had left the Household Cavalry in 2009. They guard the Queen and were never seen again.
This chateau is named after Louis XIV’s advisers, the Basmaignees. They ruled France between 1643 and 1715.
In the show, Petherick says: ‘I moved over here [to France]It was six years ago. It was home to my parents, so I decided I’d give it a shot. It is a bit of a fancy, living in a chateau… it’s always been a bit of a dream.’
He was not mentioned in this programme as having any links with the Army.
The main series, Escape To The Chateau, featuring Dick Strawbridge and his wife Angel, receives three million viewers every Sunday, making it one of Channel 4’s most popular programmes.