Woman jailed over exploding gas bottle left outside ex-boyfriend's Northampton flat

A woman who left a lit gas canister outside her ex-boyfriend's front door has been jailed for six years.

Lauren Marie Talbot, 39, tried to post the bottle of butane through the letterbox of his Northampton flat, but it did not fit so she put it on his doorstep.

Hooded Talbot, from Kingsley, then fled the scene shortly before the gas can exploded in a ball of fire, blowing two doors open and causing major damage to the building.

Fortunately Talbot's ex was not at home at the time of the explosion on 18 June last year, though evidence suggested she thought he would be.

Hooded Talbot, from Kingsley, then fled the scene shortly before the gas can exploded in a ball of fire. Credit: Northamptonshire Police

Talbot had previously been charged with setting fire to her own flat in December 2022.

When fire crews arrived to put it out, they found writing on the wall which read: “This flat can burn in hell”.

Talbot was charged with arson with intent to endanger life, pleading guilty in September last year at Northampton Crown Court.

She returned to the same court on 16 January where she was sentenced to six years in prison with an extended period of four years.

Lauren Marie Talbot was jailed for six years for arson with intent to endanger life. Credit: Northamptonshire Police

Det Con Roisin Harrison said: “Lauren Talbot’s offending was exceptionally dangerous.

"She could have killed someone as a result of both offences and it’s through sheer luck that no one was injured.

“As you can see in the footage, the carnage she created when she set that can of butane on fire is extensive.

"It could very easily have ended with a large fire throughout the block of flats, causing untold damage, and I hope this is something she reflects on during her time in prison."

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