A man blew up his childhood home after becoming convinced he had been blocked from inheriting it. Darren Davies set fire to the £260,000 four-bedroom detached bungalow where he lived with his brother, Craig, in the village of Hambleton, Lancashire, following the death of their parents in 2024.
Davies was jailed for four years and four months after admitting at an earlier hearing arson while reckless as to whether life was endangered. The property on Carr Lane in Hambleton was completely destroyed in the blast, and neighbours were put at risk when the fire ripped through the house on 27 March 2025.
What happened at the bungalow?
Neighbours heard a loud bang and saw glass and debris fly as the blast ripped through the house on Carr Lane on 27 March 2025. Davies emerged from the side of the house
miraculously uninjuredand told a passer-by:
My family want the house. If I can't have it, no-one can.
He also told neighbours, police and paramedics that he had wanted to kill himself. Prosecutor Michael O'Brien said firefighters managed to bring the blaze under control before it could spread to other properties.
Three gas cylinders had been placed in the kitchen, the front living room and one of the front bedrooms, petrol was found in the loft and a candle had been lit. O'Brien said:
Due to the extent of the fire, it was not possible for the emergency services to determine the exact location at which the fire started.
He added:
It was concluded that the cause was the application of naked flame to combustible materials, with an ignitable liquid used to accelerate the development of the fire.O'Brien also said:
The force of the blast exposed people in the vicinity to a risk of life.
Why did Darren Davies set the fire?
Davies' brother Craig told the court that the 55-year-old had developed a
bizarre ideathat he was the victim of a plot to deprive him of his inheritance. Craig Davies said his brother
developed the bizarre idea that there was a secret willthat would see him lose his home.
In a victim personal statement, Craig Davies told the court that his parents had made wills which gave an equal share of the bungalow to him and his brother. He said he had told Davies that he wanted to sell the property and
go our separate waysbut said it
would not happen straightaway.
He said:
In early 2025, Darren developed the bizarre idea that there was a secret will signed by my dad in the last few months of his life leaving the house solely to myself.
He added:
This was a notion entirely of his making.
Craig said:
He continually accused me of being part of a plot against him.
What sentence did he receive?
Darren Davies was jailed for four years and four months after admitting arson while reckless as to whether life was endangered. The court heard that the explosion and fire completely destroyed the bungalow, which had been valued at £260,000, and that the blast created a danger to people nearby.
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