A man who took revenge on his former landlord by setting fire to his garage has been handed a five-year prison sentence.
Neighbours had to evacuate their homes when the blaze threatened their properties, Grimsby Crown Court heard. Tomasz Nowak, 57, formerly of West Common Lane, Scunthorpe, admitted causing arson which endangered lives, Grimsby Live reports.
Prosecutor Matthew Moore-Taylor said Nowak had previously shared a property with the owner and his cousin for about five months in 2024. However, the landlord could not tolerate his lodger’s excessive drinking, entertaining sex workers and using his room as a toilet. He evicted Nowak in November and helped him move his belongings to a new address in Scunthorpe.
Last New Year’s Eve at about 9pm, Nowak took a taxi to his former address and asked the driver to wait for him. The taxi driver saw him walk towards the house and moments later heard a loud explosion which sounded like an aerosol can exploding in a fire. The taxi driver said her passenger returned to the vehicle and said: “I am done here. Can you take me back?”
She refused and after a second loud explosion, when the garage was well alight, Nowak fled to a neighbour’s garden where he was apprehended. Police officers noted that Nowak had burn marks on his hands and later found a pair of rubber gloves and two lighters in his possession.
The defendant initially claimed the fire was caused by a discarded cigarette which he left when he went to collect a parcel. However, a Humberside Fire and Rescue Service investigator concluded it was started deliberately involving combustible materials.
Judge Richard Woolfall said he was satisfied that Nowak had a grudge against the landlord and jailed him for five years and one month.
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