Man jailed over Walsall ex-partner house fire
A man has been jailed for attempting to murder his ex-partner by setting fire to her house.
Gary Griffiths, 44, from Brownhills, poured petrol through the letterbox of her Walsall home in March in an act of revenge after she broke off their relationship, prosecutors said.
They added it was purely "good fortune" fuel only ignited on the outside of the door while the victim slept inside.
Griffiths was sentenced to 16 years at Wolverhampton Crown Court.
He was convicted of attempted murder at an earlier hearing.
"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," said Stephen Davies, acting sector crown prosecutor for the West Midlands.
"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 and then left the scene, 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."