Jilted lover jailed for 16 years for trying to kill Wolverhampton teacher in house fire
A man was jailed for 16 years today for attempted murder after he tried to set fire to his ex-partner's home in Walsall.
Gary Griffiths, 44, was unable to accept Wolverhampton teacher Tracey Powell's decision to end their relationship after a few months.
He sent her text messages and turned up to her place of work unannounced with a bouquet of flowers, all in vain,
So Griffiths, of Proffitt Close, Brownhills, drove to the Jet Service Station on Lichfield Road, Shelfield and filled up a five litre container with petrol.
He drove to the victim's house in Bloxwich Road, Walsall, and poured petrol on the front door and through her letterbox.
He put a piece of paper and a lit cigarette through it.
Only the petrol on the outside of the letterbox that caught alight. Griffiths then tried to call the victim and sent her a text message telling her what he had done, as he remained at the scene and watched the fire take hold.
The victim saw Griffiths and read the text message. She saw him standing outside her house and then driving away, before she called 999 and was rescued.
When the firefighters arrived at the scene they found the white front door on fire which was left scorched and blackened as a result. The inside of the house suffered from smoke damage.
Following a trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court, he was found guilty of attempted murder and arson.
Stephen Davies, Acting Sector Crown Prosecutor from West Midlands Crown Prosecution Service, said: "Unable to accept the fact that the victim did not wish to rekindle their relationship, Gary Griffiths sought revenge on his ex-partner and planned to burn down her house while she was asleep in it.
"Once he had set fire to the house, rather than call for help, Griffiths watched from across the road as the flames took hold of the downstairs of the house and then left the scene of his crime knowing that the victim was trapped upstairs.
"Through his reckless actions, he not only put the victim's life in danger, but that of the neighbours and the emergency services who were called out to tackle the blaze."
