Man set girlfriend on fire over renovation fight
A couple in southern Sweden couldn't agree on which tape to use while repainting their window frames – leading the man to set his partner, and the house, on fire.
The couple, exhausted after a long day renovating their house in Skåne, started arguing about details of their home improvement project.
The situation quickly escalated into a nightmare, however, with the man pouring gasoline over the house and his girlfriend and setting them both alight.
“It was like something from a horror movie,” the woman told investigators, the Metro newspaper reported.
The woman escaped the flames by diving head-first out of a small window. She then managed to run to a neighbour, who later told police the woman was bleeding and badly burned.
Emergency services arrived to find found the house ablaze and a blue gasoline can nearby.
During interrogations, the 42-year-old man claimed he didn't remember much from the evening, explaining he'd had a few drinks prior to the incident and that he was "exhausted" by his girlfriend's nagging.
"She complained about absolutely everything, how I painted, how I cleaned…Things got stressful,” he told investigators about the evening in July when the incident took place.
The man's explanations held little sway with the Lund District Court, however, which last week found him guilty of arson and attempted murder and sentenced him to eight years in prison. He was also ordered to pay 200,000 kronor ($30,138) in damages to the woman, who has been unable to work due to pain and mental suffering.
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The couple, exhausted after a long day renovating their house in Skåne, started arguing about details of their home improvement project.
The situation quickly escalated into a nightmare, however, with the man pouring gasoline over the house and his girlfriend and setting them both alight.
“It was like something from a horror movie,” the woman told investigators, the Metro newspaper reported.
The woman escaped the flames by diving head-first out of a small window. She then managed to run to a neighbour, who later told police the woman was bleeding and badly burned.
Emergency services arrived to find found the house ablaze and a blue gasoline can nearby.
During interrogations, the 42-year-old man claimed he didn't remember much from the evening, explaining he'd had a few drinks prior to the incident and that he was "exhausted" by his girlfriend's nagging.
"She complained about absolutely everything, how I painted, how I cleaned…Things got stressful,” he told investigators about the evening in July when the incident took place.
The man's explanations held little sway with the Lund District Court, however, which last week found him guilty of arson and attempted murder and sentenced him to eight years in prison. He was also ordered to pay 200,000 kronor ($30,138) in damages to the woman, who has been unable to work due to pain and mental suffering.
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