Derby man jailed 11 years for deliberate gas explosion

A Derby man who deliberately triggered a gas explosion in his home after his partner asked him to leave has been sentenced to 11 years in prison. Paul Solway, 58, of no fixed address, caused the blast at a terraced house in Eden Street, Alvaston, on June 10, 2023, destroying his property and severely damaging neighboring homes.

The incident unfolded around 7:24 p.m. when Solway, upset after his partner Joanne Waterfall left the house with their three children and told him to move out, entered the basement and detached a gas pipe, releasing natural gas into the property. He then set fire to a chair in the kitchen, igniting the gas and causing a massive explosion. Video footage from Derbyshire Constabulary showed the front of the house collapsing into the street, narrowly missing a passing car. Solway emerged from the rear of the building with severe burns to his face and hair, later entering a medically induced coma and spending weeks in hospital. The family dog, trapped in the rubble, was rescued and made a full recovery. No other physical injuries were reported.

Investigations by police and gas utility Cadent confirmed the explosion resulted from deliberate tampering, with no...