Damion Sheldon Sentenced to 19 Years: Set Ex-Girlfriend on Fire

Damion Sheldon Sentenced to 19 Years: Set Ex-Girlfriend on Fire
Tara MacIsaac
9/3/2013
Updated:
9/3/2013

Damion Sheldon of Dudley, England, has been sentenced to 19 years in prison for attempted murder and arson for covering his ex-girlfriend in gasoline and setting her on fire.

The woman had ended their nine-month relationship, according to the Birmingham Mail. Sheldon made threatening phone calls to the victim on Dec. 1, 2012, his 42nd birthday. He then went to her house and began pouring gasoline through the mail slot into her home.

She came to the door as her dog barked, followed by her nine-year-old daughter. Her toddler slept upstairs. Sheldon poured the gasoline over the woman and set her on fire. Her daughter rushed to help strip her flaming clothes as the woman was badly burned.

Detective Andy Barnsley of the West Midlands Police, who testified last month, is quoted by the BBC: “But this horror wasn’t enough for Sheldon who then coolly walked into the house and set fire to the family home where a baby was sleeping.

“Like a coward he then ran off in an attempt to evade justice and when captured tried to deny any knowledge of the offense, blaming his actions on alcohol.”

While the house was on fire, three neighbors rushed to rescue the 13-month-old, facing many obstacles. The flames and smoke prevented entry to the home, so they finally used a ladder to reach the upper floor and a sledgehammer to break a window.

The baby appeared lifeless when they got to her, reports the Birmingham Mail, but she was resuscitated by rescue workers once out of the burning home.