Darren Davies, 55, has been sentenced to four years and four months in prison after admitting arson with recklessness as to whether life was endangered. The explosion on 23 March reduced the four-bedroom bungalow on Carr Lane in Hambleton, Lancashire, to rubble.
A passing motorist heard a thunderous bang and saw flames tear through the building. They witnessed Davies emerge unharmed from the side of the property and called 999.
Petrol and candles used to start blaze
Preston Crown Court heard that Davies poured petrol in the bedroom and attic before lighting candles to start the fire. He claimed he had intended to take his own life but was determined to take the house down with him.
Judge Philip Parry said during sentencing: "You said if you couldn't have it, nobody could."
Brother lost irreplaceable memories
Davies had been sharing the property with his brother Craig after both parents died within months of each other in 2024. Craig lost a lifetime's worth of family photographs, vinyl records, and diaries he had kept since age 10.
Judge Parry added: "He points out that this was his home for over 50 years. All his belongings were in the house when it was set ablaze, all his memories he describes as going up in flames and all his personal belongings destroyed. He was left with nothing but the clothes on his back and the items in his car."
Psychiatric assessment and remorse
A psychiatric assessment concluded that Davies had been overwhelmed by symptoms of mental illness and was experiencing an autistic crisis at the time. He had devoted himself to caring for his parents and was deeply affected by their deaths.
Davies wrote a letter to the court expressing remorse and offering an apology to his brother, neighbours, and the Hambleton community.
