Angry tenant set fire to flat above petrol station

A tenant set fire to the flat he rented above a petrol station following a row with his landlord.

Shane Willis, 45, of Coventry, has now been jailed for 54 months following the blaze last May.

He had poured turpentine in the lounge and bedroom of the apartment and then set light to it, causing £250,000 of damage.

A passing motorist spotted smoke coming out of the windows, called the emergency services and banged on doors shouting for neighbours to get out.

The court heard that Willis had had an argument with his landlord before the arson attack and that witnesses had seen him at the scene shortly after the blaze.

Police arrested him at his girlfriend’s house and charged him with arson recklessly endangering others people’s  lives.

He denied the charge, claiming a case of mistaken identity, but a jury at Coventry Crown Court found him guilty following a three-day trial.

Detective constable Jon Rankin said: “Willis had exchanged angry words with his landlord and clearly thought he would get back at them by damaging their property.

“But whatever the dispute, his actions were completely disproportionate and in the end he was lucky not to have been facing a murder charge.

“Thankfully the flats were evacuated quickly and no-one was seriously injured. However, given that the flats are above a petrol station, and many of the neighbours were elderly or families of young children, the fire could easily have had catastrophic consequences.

“If it hadn’t been for the quick reactions of the passing motorist who raised the alarm, and the subsequent speedy evacuation, there could well have been a fatality.”