Watch: Dramatic moment woman causes explosion outside ex-partner's Northampton flat

A 39-year-old woman who set her Northampton flat on fire before causing an explosion outside her former partner’s home has been jailed for six years.

Lauren Marie Talbot appeared at Northampton Crown Court on Tuesday (January 16) after pleading guilty to arson with intent and arson with intent to endanger life.

The charges relate to the early morning of December 21, 2022 when Talbot set multiple fires inside her Shelley Street flat in Kingsley, at around 2.10am. Firefighters found writing on the wall, which read: “This flat can burn in hell”.

After being arrested and charged, Talbot went on to cause a huge explosion outside the front door of her former partner’s flat in Drapery.

Police say the attack on June 18, 2023 was “pre-planned”. Talbot travelled to the home just after 8pm, with her hood up. She lit a bottle of butane gas and tried to post it through the letter box, however this failed so she left the bottle burning outside the front door, which caused a huge explosion – blowing two doors open, cracking the walls and causing structural damage, and burning the carpet.

The man was not in at the time, though evidence suggested Talbot thought he would be according to police, and no-one was injured.

After sentencing, 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.

“I also want to take this opportunity to thank the man in this case who has supported our investigation from the beginning. Luckily he was not in his flat that day, but the incident has understandably had a very real effect on him. I hope this result provides him with some semblance of closure. I am pleased to see Talbot handed this sentence and I hope it shows how seriously Northamptonshire Police take these kinds of incidents.”

Det Sgt Pete Ticehurst said: “I’d like to commend both Det Con Roisin Harrison and Det Con Angela McKay for their investigations into Lauren Talbot. Their diligence and hard work led to her guilty pleas and a fantastic sentence of six years in prison.”

Talbot was sentenced to six years in prison with an extended period of four years.