A man who endangered the lives of his sleeping neighbours by setting fire to his flat has been jailed.
Darren Edwards, aged 48, poured a flammable liquid onto the floor by his front door and set fire to it, causing a substantial fire to take hold in the second floor flat.
Firefighters raced to the scene in Belconnen Road, Bestwood, shortly before 3am on Saturday 7 August 2021, and immediately evacuated Edwards and his neighbours.
As the fire was brought under control Edwards was arrested and taken into custody.
He admitted to starting the blaze deliberately but claimed he had not intended to hurt any of his neighbours.
Appearing at Nottingham Crown Court on Monday he was jailed for three years and eight months after admitting to a charge of arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered.
Detective Inspector Ruby Burrow, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Edwards could very easily have killed or seriously injured himself or others during this incident, which would have been a lot worse without the very swift attention of Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service.
“I am pleased he has now been sentenced and hope this incident will serve as a warning to others about the consequences of starting fires deliberately.”
