Family home torched by fireworks leaving disabled man and his wife 'living in fear'

A family in Newport have had their house torched and narrowly escaped themselves after fireworks were thrown near the back of their property.

Graham Lloyd, who uses a wheelchair, was in the house with his 49-year-old brother who has Down Syndrome when the house caught alight on bonfire night.

The pair and the family's two dogs managed to escape the property which Mr Lloyd has lived in with wife Janet for 40 years.

The couple's daughter said her parents are "living in fear" of anti-social behaviour.

Gwent Police confirmed they are treating the fire as suspicious and are appealing for anyone with information to get in touch.

Graham Lloyd heard several explosions at the back of the property and discovered the fire when he went to investigate.
Graham Lloyd lives at the property with his wife, his brother and their two pet dogs.

62-year-old Mr Lloyd lives at the property in the Liswerry area of Newport with his wife and brother - who had recently moved in.

Mr Lloyd was alerted to the fire after he heard several loud explosions coming from an alleyway at the back of the house. He went into the kitchen to investigate and saw flames through a glass panel in the side door.

Michelle, Mr Lloyd's daughter, described her father's ordeal as he realised the phone line had been burnt through when he could not call 999. He then had to go back into the living room to get his mobile phone.

He then also had to get his brother Stephen, who has Down Syndrome, out of the house. Michelle said Stephen "was upstairs with his headphones on and couldn't hear my dad furiously screaming at him from the bottom of the stairs".

Eventually both managed to exit the property safely whilst the house began to fill with black smoke.

The fire happened on bonfire night.
Graham Lloyd lost his rare Dodge Ram American pick-up truck which he had been adapting for years.

The family also have two Bichon Frise dogs and whilst one followed Mr Lloyd and his brother out, the other was too scared to move. Thankfully, when the fire service arrived they managed to get the other dog out.

When Mr Lloyd's wife, Janet, returned home the fire was under control but the house had suffered horrific damage.

Mr Lloyd lost use of his legs in a motorcycle accident 20 years ago and had been adapting a rare American pick-up truck for years. The truck was destroyed in the fire.

Graham Lloyd uses a wheelchair and his brother, who recently moved in to the house, has Down Syndrome.
The family have been told it will be six to eight months before they can move back in.

The family have been told it will be six to eight months before they can move back in but Michelle said "after the shock they've had, I'm not sure they'll ever feel safe in their own home again."

Michelle said her uncle Stephen had moved in with her parents after his own mother died in January and this experience "has really affected him badly".

She wants something to be done about a recent rise in anti-social behaviour in the area saying that the alleyway at the back of the property often "attracts trouble" and people like her parents "are living in fear."

A spokesman for Gwent Police confirmed they were treating the fire as suspicious and appealed for anyone with information or who may have witnessed the incident to get in touch.