A jilted boyfriend has been jailed for trapping his ex partner in his flat and turning the entire building into a timebomb by ripping out the cooker.
Andrew Minchinton flicked a lighter in an apparent bid to spark and explosion and only let terrified victim Rachel Puddicombe out after he failed.
He also flicked a light switch on and off in the hope of creating a spark before calming down, fleeing the building and telling police 'it is going to blow, it is going to blow'.
Families with young children living at the block of flats in Paignton were evacuated and firefighters were called in to make the building safe.
He had already attacked her before the incident and Miss Puddicombe was convinced he was going to kill her, Exeter Crown CourtExeter Crown Court was told.
Warehouse supervisor Minchinton, aged 32, of Rowcroft Road, Paignton, admitted false imprisonment, assault by beating, criminal damage with intent to endanger life and damaging her mobile phone.
He jailed for four and a half years and banned from contacting the victim for seven years by a restraining order.
Judge Francis Gilbert, QC, said:"She feared you were going to kill her."
Prosecutor Bathsheba Cassel said the couple had been to a Xmas party one December evening last year and were walking home around midnight.
Minchinton started to act strangely and suddenly grabbed Miss Puddicombe by her neck leaving red marks.
They returned to his second floor flat so she could collect her things and leave but once inside he locked the door and became aggressive with her.
Miss Cassel said she was scared as he went into the kitchen and turned on the gas cooker hobs. She tried to turn them off and Minchinton pulled the cooker away from the wall and the gas started escaping.
She said:"She could heard the gas whoosh out of the pipe. She was very frightened and feared for her life."
She tried the door but it was locked and then forced open a window to scream for help and contemplated jumping from the second floor window.
Miss Cassel said:"He was shouting things at her saying 'we are going to die tonight, the gas is going to go up'. The smell of the gas was overpowering and she was struggling to breathe."
At the end of the nine minute long incident Minchinton said 'okay you can go' and opened the door.
Neighbours had heard the commotion and called police who saw her run out into the street and went into the flat to isolate the gas supply and evacuate the building.
Forensic experts said there had been a real risk of an explosion which could have hurt or killed occupants and flying debris could have been blown into the street injuring passers by.
Miss Puddicombe, who suffered cuts, bruises and marks in the attack, was left traumatised and she 'really believed he would kill her'.
When police arrested an 'agitated Minchinton, he told police 'it is going to blow, it is going to blow'.
In custody he told officers he had 'tried to ignite it with the lighter and by switching on the lights' and he knew other adults and children were in the building who were in danger from his actions.
Defence solicitor Paul Dentith said the dad of two had been in an 18 month long relationship with Miss Puddicombe who had told police she 'had never seen him like this before'.
She said she wanted the warehouse supervisor to 'just think about what he has done'.
