A widow has been left terrified in her home after catching her neighbour pouring petrol through her letterbox while holding a lighter.
Justin Watson has lived next door to the woman in Wallsend for 25 years and they have never seen eye to eye due to his behaviour, a court heard. In March last year, the victim was in her front room when she heard her letterbox. She assumed it was the postman until she heard it again and went to look.
Through the frosted glass she could make out a figure in dark clothing and realised it was Watson but at that point still had no idea what he was up to. Michael Bunch, prosecuting, told Newcastle Crown Court : "She went to open the door and could see the defendant outside. She could smell petrol and noticed he had in his hand a small dark lighter and some petrol in a can.
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"As a consequence she slammed the door shut and ran to the kitchen and contacted the police. The smell of petrol was strong all the way through her property and there were no windows or door open, which led her to the conclusion petrol had been poured in through the letter box.
"She was terrified he would set fire to it and worried about leaving the address in case she came into contact with him." When police turned up they found a "significant amount" of petrol on the carpet of the porch, which had been poured through the letterbox and on the door.
In a victim statement, the woman said: "While the police were taking my statement I was crying because I get very emotional about it. I worry about what could have happened if I had not noticed him at the door.
"I've been a nervous wreck. I live alone which has made it worse but I've got good neighbours who check on me. I often have nightmares in which I'm screaming, which I never had before this. I no longer feel safe and don't know if I ever will.
"My husband passed away last year and we made a lot of memories and I don't know if I want to move. It worries me that he knows where I live when he gets out of prison."
Watson, 50, of Waltham Close, Wallsend, who has 11 previous convictions, pleaded guilty to attempted reckless arson and was jailed for 32 months and given an indefinite restraining order. Judge Tim Gittins said it was a "highly dangerous act" and that if he had lit it there would have been a significant risk to the life of the woman and others.
Helen Towers, defending, said Watson owns the house next to the victim and intends to return to it but wants to sell it and move to Spain to work as a mechanic. She added: "He says he wishes it didn't happen and wants to move on and is sorry."
The court heard before the incident he mistakenly thought noise from another property was coming from the victim's home.
