Watch the moment arsonist was arrested after blowing up Hambleton home over inheritance row

This is the moment an arsonist was arrested casually strolling away from the Hambleton bungalow he had just blown up after wrongly believing he was being done out of his inheritance.

Police body worn cameras captured officers stopping and questioning Darren Davies, 55, close to the home in Carr Lane after he miraculously escaped unscathed despite being inside when the blast hit.

The footage was released by Lancashire Police after he was today sentenced to four years and four months behind bars.

Davies poured petrol around the bungalow and also had a gas bottle inside the property.

The resulting explosion saw the bungalow engulfed in flames, with glass and debris strewn across the road outside.

Thick black smoke could be seen from some distance away, and the force of the explosion meant that only one wall of the bungalow was left standing.

Davies was in the property when it exploded around 9.50am on March 27 but escaped with minor injuries.

He told paramedics treating him and the chief fire officer who attended, that his intention had been to kill himself and ‘take the house with him’.

Davies had become paranoid that family members wanted to take the bungalow off him, the property having been left to him and his brother by their father.

One witness who was driving on Carr Lane when the explosion happened, saw Davies walk from the bungalow wearing pyjama bottoms and an orange hooded top.

Davies spoke to the witness and made the comment: “My family want the house, if I can’t have it no one can.”

His brother, who he lived with, was at work when Davies caused the explosion. He received a WhatsApp message from a friend who worked near to the bungalow, requesting he phoned him.

When he called his friend, he was told his home had burned down and there was ‘nothing left’.

The emergency services declared a major incident such was the extent of the fire and explosion.

Davies was arrested at the scene, and after receiving treatment at hospital, was taken into custody.

He was subsequently charged with arson and remanded in custody to await court proceedings.

Davies, 55, formerly of Carr Lane, Hambleton, appeared at Preston Crown Court for sentence today after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing to arson being reckless as to whether life would be endangered.

Joanne Close of the Crown Prosecution Service said: “My thoughts are with Davies’ brother and the rest of the family as they continue to come to terms with the impact of this devastating incident.

“Nothing can replace the memories and belongings lost in the home. His brother was left only with the personal items he had taken with him on his commute. Everything else he owned, and everything that had belonged to their parents, was destroyed.

“The impact on his brother has been life changing, and he has had to rely on the kindness of the community. Other family members have also suffered the loss of treasured family possessions and memories.

“Whilst nothing can replace what has been lost, I hope today's sentence provides them with some sense of justice.”