Darren Davies has been jailed for four years and four months after admitting arson while reckless as to whether life was endangered. He set fire to his childhood home in Hambleton, Lancashire, after becoming convinced he had been blocked from inheriting it.
The 55-year-old lived in the £260,000 four-bedroom detached bungalow with his brother, Craig, following their parents' deaths in 2024. Craig Davies told the court his brother developed a "bizarre idea" that he was the victim of a plot to deprive him of his inheritance, despite wills giving both brothers an equal share of the property.
Neighbours heard a loud bang on 27 March 2025, as a blast ripped through the house on Carr Lane. Davies emerged "miraculously uninjured" and reportedly told a passer-by: "My family want the house. If I can't have it, no-one can."
Prosecutor Michael O'Brien stated that three gas cylinders were placed in the kitchen, living room, and a bedroom, with petrol found in the loft and a candle lit. Firefighters brought the blaze under control before it could spread to other properties, but the force of the blast exposed people in the vicinity to a risk of life.