Alan Blackman, an 80-year-old Navy veteran and former BBC engineer, was spared jail on Wednesday (January 30) after he pleaded guilty to recklessly endangering life through criminal damage.
The 72-year-old victim woke at midnight to the smell of fumes then discovered a large pool of what she believed to be petrol by her front door, the court heard.
CCTV later revealed that Alan Blackman, who she had until recently been in a long-term relationship with, had squirted a bottle of white spirit through her letterbox.
Three used matches found in his coat pocket when he was arrested revealed just how close Blackman got to starting a fire before coming to his senses.
‘Something came over me’
Prosecutor Richard Burrington said Blackman and the victim had been a couple for more than 20 years, describing it as “a normal relationship with ups and downs”.
When she ended the relationship she believed the separation had been dealt with in a civil manner.
But Blackman said “something came over me” on August 10, 2023, when he went to her home in Belmont armed with a bottle of white spirit.
After lighting several matches he decided against committing arson and left.
Police were called after the victim woke to the smell of fumes and Blackman was later identified as the culprit.
Reading a statement in court, the victim said: “I still wake in the night wondering how much worse the situation could have been had I not woken up and put the landing light on when I did.”
She said the last 18 months had been traumatic for her.
“Extra measures had to be put in place to ensure my safety, something I never thought I would have to deal with in what I thought was a safe place to live,” she said.
Blackman was aware that her young grandchildren often stay with her overnight.
“Thank goodness they were not there that night,” she said.
Previously she was very independent and confident but this incident has left her feeling unsafe in her own home, she said.
‘Cut off by everyone’
When Blackman was arrested he told police he was partially disabled so there was no way he could have been at her address that night.
But his guilt was evidenced by CCTV footage, DNA found on the white spirit bottle which was found in a nearby bin, and the matches in his coat pocket.
Blackman, who previously had a clean criminal record, pleaded guilty to the offence.
The court heard that Blackman’s family severed all ties with him after he told them what he had done.
Recorder Philip Kolvin KC, sentencing at Croydon Crown Court, said: “It’s a really extraordinary case to see an 80-year-old man with your record of service before the court doing something as disgusting as this to somebody who had been your partner for two decades.”
Blackman was given a 24-month sentence, but it was suspended for one year meaning Blackman will not see the inside of a prison cell.
“You can consider yourself a little bit lucky,” Recorder Kolvin told him.
