Jailed: Shifnal man used toaster in arson attack at home of ex-girlfriend 30 years his junior

The smoke alarm alerted the victim at her two-bedroom terrace property in Botfield Road, allowing her to escape the blaze. Neighbours had to be evacuated.

Ian Rowley, 52, was jailed having admitted a charge of arson and being reckless as to whether life was endangered.

Rowley, an HGV driver, was sentenced to three years and nine months custody and told by Recorder Ben Nicholls he was fortunate not to be facing a life sentence.

"Most deaths in fires are from smoke inhalation and having seen the smoke damage in this case had it not been that the victim was woken she would probably have died in the fire," he said.

Recorder Nicholls said a chilling aspect of the case was the text messages Rowley sent the previous day to his daughter saying he was "thinking of fire-bombing Botfield Road" and that he would get his victim back one day.

He said that Rowley's inability to cope following the inevitable breakdown of the relationship, bearing in mind he was 30 years older than his victim, was no justification for committing the arson offence.

Rowley, of Wheatfield Drive, Shifnal, was also made the subject of an indefinite restraining order to have no contact directly or indirectly with the victim.

He had denied a charge of harassment relating to the victim, which Recorder Nicholls ordered to lie on the file.

Shrewsbury Crown Court heard that he had a previous conviction for common assault on his ex-wife in 2010 when their marriage ended.

Mr Mohammed Hafeez, prosecuting, said that Rowley was 30 years older than his victim, who was 18 when the relationship started in 2010.

He said the victim had worked at the Wheatsheaf pub where Rowley had been a customer.

By December last year the relationship had ended and on New Year's Eve the victim had moved into the terraced property in Botfied Road.

Mr Hafeez said that in the early hours of January 6 this year she had returned home from work and was asleep when Rowley broke into the house through a kitchen window.

"He put paper and cardboard into the toaster and covered it with a tea towel and left it switched on causing the subsequent fire," said Mr Hafeez.

He said that Rowley's Peugeot was seen in the area just 17 minutes after the alarm was raised and he was arrested.

Rowley had initially denied being involved but he was linked to the arson when broken glass was found on his shoes, a foot print from a Puma trainer was found in the kitchen, his clothes smelled of smoke and various text messages were recovered from his mobile phone.

In an impact statement, the victim said she had been very scared and had flashbacks and realised had she not been woken by the fire alarm she could have died.

She said that she had lost her job because Rowley had remained a customer at the pub and she had had to move house.

"I had just wanted him to leave me alone," she said.

Mr Ian Windridge, for Rowley, said his client realised he "should have known better" as he was a mature middle-aged man and the victim had been a teenager.

"Their perspectives on life were different and there should have been a clean end to the relationship, but he must take responsibility for not being able to let go," he said.

Mr Windridge said his client cannot say why he committed the offence but was in an emotional state and was "upset and embarrassed" that the relationship went wrong.