Lovesick plumber jailed for setting fire to Willenhall home

A lovesick plumber who risked lives after setting fire to his Black Country flat has been jailed for three years.

Giles Tennent's actions could have caused several deaths had the blaze not been detected, Wolverhampton Crown Court was told.

The 45-year-old downed vodka and cider before setting light to the settee of his top floor home in Willenhall.

Neighbour Tom Gadd tried to get in as smoke billowed through the letter box but the front door was locked. Tennent suffered smoke inhalation in the blaze and spent almost a month in hospital.

Firefighters found him lying on the floor next to the burning sofa, said prosecutor Mr Gurdeep Garcha.

He later admitted to paramedics he deliberately set fire to the settee because he had "had enough" after breaking up with his partner, the court heard.

Mr Garcha added: "Investigators confirmed the fire was arson and were clear that if it had gone undetected for much longer it would have spread with a high likelihood of causing fatalities."

Tennent denied deliberately starting the fire when interviewed by police, but changed his plea to admit arson when reckless to whether life was endangered.

His flat was among eight in the block in Bloxwich Road South. The Walsall Housing Group owned property needed £5,000 of repairs after the fire on November 22, 2008.

Mr Mohammed Ramzan, defending, said Tennent had an alcohol problem. Judge Helen Hughes said looking at pictures of the damage, it was difficult to believe anyone had survived the fire.