A man who left his Nottingham girlfriend for dead after setting her on fire and leaving her with 80 per cent burns has been given an extended sentence of more than 21 years. Leigh Pateman, 43, poured petrol over his 42-year-old girlfriend and ignited it with his lighter following a row at their flat in Skegness.
The victim, who was originally from Nottingham, then suffered horrific burns after Pateman lit his lighter as she sat in a lounge chair. A court heard she suffered 80 per cent burns, required mechanical ventilation and her chances of survival were rated at less than 50 per cent.
Lincoln Crown Court was told Pateman had made a previous threat to set his partner alight and had kept the petrol at his property after buying it, but she did not believe his threat was sincere. When emergency services arrived at the shared property in Firbeck Avenue on April 22 last year, Pateman had already fled, Lincolnshire Live reported.
