The judge who sentenced a suicidal Falklands’ veteran for deliberately causing a huge gas blast told him he chose a, “spectacularly reckless way” to try to take his own life.

Imposing a five-year prison sentence on ex-Royal Navy serviceman Ian Lenaghan, Recorder Thomas Moran said he exposed other people to, “a great deal of danger” in the explosion that destroyed his upstairs flat, and that of his downstairs’ neighbour.

Other adjoining properties in Whickham Street, Roker, were also badly damaged in the blast, caused after Lenaghan severed the gas hose leading to his cooker, turned up the gas and ignited it with a lighter, on February 15 this year.

Newcastle Crown Court heard the 59-year-old former sailor, who saw service in the Falklands’ conflict of 1982, had decided to take his own life, but thought the explosion would be confined to his kitchen.

Read more: Sunderland house explosion: Ian Lenaghan JAILED after house destroyed

Both he and his downstairs' neighbour had to be rescued from the rubble of their homes and taken to hospital, where Lenaghan spent several weeks recovering from 80-per cent burns, drastically reduced lung capacity and loss of manual dexterity.

Despite denials at the time, Lenaghan, of previous good character, admitted damaging property being reckless as to whether life was endangered at a hearing at the court, in May.

Passing sentence today (Friday August 19), Recorder Moran told Lenaghan: “For reasons that remain largely difficult to comprehend, you decided, having never previously tried to harm yourself and with no diagnosis of mental health problems, to take your own life.

“You chose a spectacularly reckless way to do that.

“The way you did it exposed other people to a great deal of danger.”

Recorder Moran said it must have required “some determination” to severe the gas hose pipe to the cooker, which was only discovered in a follow up Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inquiry, assisted by Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service and Northumbria Police.

“You failed, perhaps narrowly, to kill yourself but caused misery to others.”

The judge said Lenaghan would have known neighbours would have been at home at the time, at 3.45pm on a winter’s afternoon.

He said the value of the damage has not been possible to calculate, but it appeared to be in excess of £1m, with housing provider gentoo still undecided whether to demolish the property entirely and rebuild or attempt to salvage any of the block.

Read more: Man admits causing gas explosion in Sunderland street

Recorder Moran said gentoo has suffered a loss of income in the months since with the damaged properties remaining uninhabited, while the company also suffered “unwarranted reputational damage” at the time amid a suspicion of neglect on its part until the truth emerged following the HSE investigation.

The recorder also spoke of the impact on the neighbouring tenants, one of whom spent two days in hospital and lost one of his pet cats, killed in the blast.

That neighbour, who had no contents insurance on his home of 22 years, now suffers post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and another, the only victim to privately own her property, was left in only the clothes she was standing in and has had to rent another home since.

She said she has since been left, “a nervous wreck”, frightened by the slightest noise.

Recorder Moran told Lenaghan: “You said you tried to take your own life - you must have.

“You said you didn’t expect the explosion to be so big.”

He said the defendant was a father of three adult children with whom he has no contact.

Since leaving the Royal Navy has worked as an electrician, and appears to have led, “a stable life”, with no history of mental health issues.

“On the day this happened you had reflected having done very little with your life.

“You looked forward to the next 20 to 30 year and you decided to ‘blow yourself to bits’ … that would be the easiest way to take your own life believing it would be contained within the kitchen.”

He pointed to the medical report which said that despite having no apparent mental health history the psychiatrist suspected Lenaghan may have had underlying depression or PTSD, but the recorder added it was only a submission in the report.

Lenaghan himself, since the blast, has said he was the sort who, “just gets on with it”, which Recorder Moran said reflects there may have been, “more significant underlying mental health problems”.

He told Lenaghan if he had maintained his original denials and taken the case to trial his sentence would have been six years and eight months.

But with a 25-per cent discount to reflect his guilty plea, the final sentence was one of five years’ imprisonment, of which the defendant must serve half behind bars before his release on licence.

Read next:

               Man in court charged with explosion in Sunderland

               PICTURES: Sunderland home 24 hours after 'gas' explosion

               Suspected gas explosion in Roker area of Sunderland

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