The street after the explosion (Picture: Matthew Horwood/Wales News Service)

A man blew up his own house on his birthday because he was depressed at turning 50.

William Flindell filled his flat with gas and set it off with a lighter after spending the day drinking, a court heard.

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The huge explosion ripped the windows out of his living room and showered bricks and debris across the street in Newport, South Wales.

Flindell escaped with his life, but lost the use of both hands in the blast, suffered burns to 58 per cent of his body and was kept in hospital for two months.


It caused £200,000 of damage and also hurt two other people in the building at the time, who had minor injuries and were discharged from hospital the same day.

William Flindell has been jailed (Picture: Wales News Service)

Witness heard a man shouting ‘Get out, get out’ of the bedsit property before the explosion.



Cardiff Crown Court heard the front of the house on George Street was ‘completely blown apart’ and showered the street in bricks and debris.

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Flindell admitted arson being reckless to whether life was endangered and told police in hospital: ‘I’m sorry I have done it, I wanted to kill myself.’

He told police he was drinking on his 50th birthday on April 2nd last year when he became depressed and plotted the explosion.

Sarah Waters, defending, said the blast was ‘drastic and uncharacteristic’.

She said: ‘The effect this has had on him physically has been horrendous.’

The living room wall was blown off (Picture: Wales News Service)

Flindell was jailed for four and a half years for causing the explosion.

Judge Michael Fitton QC told him he was lucky no one else was seriously injured or even killed.

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The judge said: ‘You were under the influence of alcohol but you were not psychotic and you did this deliberately knowing how dangerous it was.

‘This was still a serious offence of gross recklessness involving an extremely dangerous action for selfish reasons.’

Flindell, of George Street, Newport, was sentenced to four years and six months in prison.

The court heard Flindell would be treated for depression while in prison.

For emotional support call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local Samaritans branch. See http://www.samaritans.org for details.