Man who caused gas blast that destroyed partner’s house jailed for 11 years | UK news

The man who blew up the terrace house and set the chair on fire by leaking gas from the pipe after being thrown out by his partner was sentenced to 11 years in prison.

Paul Solway was having a “breakdown” when he caused an explosion at his partner Joanne Waterfall’s home in Alvaston, Derby, on the evening of June 10 last year.

Video footage released by Derbyshire Constabulary captured the moment the front of the house flew into a passing car.

Waterfall “walked away with nothing on”, causing thousands of pounds of damage and two neighboring properties having to be demolished.

Solway, 58, admitted reckless damage to property in relation to six homes at a hearing in January, whether life was endangered or not.

The defendant, of no fixed address, appeared at Derby court via video link from HMP Nottingham on Wednesday wearing a green T-shirt and a white bandage on one arm.

Following the sentencing, Waterfall said: “I have nothing. I had to start completely from scratch. I left with one piece of clothing and that was it.”

He said of Solway’s sentence: “In my eyes, I think it should have been longer. 11 years for six houses. Isn’t it nothing? I’ve never heard an apology from him. He has no remorse.”

He said he believed she wanted revenge on him and “planned” the crime.

Sentencing Solway, who suffered severe burns and was placed in a medically induced coma following the explosion, Judge Shaun Smith KC said: “The effects were devastating. The front wall of your house was blown out and blown onto the street.

“People have lost a lot of money and savings. Some are now dependent on the housing provided by the municipality.

“In the end, what you did affected your own community, your own little community on that street. In fact, none of them could escape the consequences of what you did that night.”

Prosecutor Paul Raudnitz KC said Solway had a “meltdown” before the explosion and punched through the garden fence, during which he told a neighbor he would “be dead by tonight”.

The court heard Waterfall said he had already left the house and had to move to Solway, which made him “very upset”.

Raudnitz said he disconnected the pipe before setting fire to a chair in the kitchen, which ignited the gas.

Solway emerged from the back of the property after the explosion, the lawyer said, adding: “His hair appeared to have been completely burnt off. It was clear he was very close to the explosion.”

“While he was being treated with oxygen he told officers it was gas and that he was going to turn it off in the basement. The defendant also confirmed that it was just him and the dog on the property.”

Summarizing the statement written by Waterfall, Judge Smith said: “Everything he owned is now gone, lost to the explosion and subsequent destruction. He no longer has a home as he has no home insurance.”

The court heard that another homeowner had been left in a “really dark place” since the partial demolition of his home, which had been in his family for four generations.

The court heard thousands of pounds of damage had been caused to other neighbours’ homes and cars.

The judge placed Solway under a restraining order banning him from contacting Waterfall.

DC Shaun Carter, of Derbyshire Police, said: “Solway’s decision to cut this gas pipe left him in hospital but also caused distress and devastation to other members of the community in Derby.

“Almost a year has passed since this incident, but many families are still dealing with the impact of his reckless and dangerous actions.

“I know no sentence can give these people back what they have lost, especially those who lost their homes, but I hope knowing that he has been behind bars for some time will help them start to look to the future.”