A man who threw a petrol bomb through his neighbour’s window has been jailed for eight years.

Nathaniel Darius Palmer, 26, of Fernham Road, Thornton Heath was jailed on Monday May 14 after being found guilty of criminal damage and arson with intent to endanger life.

The court heard how Palmer threw a brick at a conservatory window before hurling in a petrol bomb into the home on Ferndale Road in the early hours of October 11 last year.

The occupant called police and the fire brigade, but was able to extinguish the home-made explosive.

A police search proved fruitless but hours later officers were called to a home in Nutfield Road where Palmer had broken a window in an attempt to break in to a friend’s home to hide.

DC Yasser Akhtar, from Croydon CID, said: “The evidence we found all pointed to Palmer being responsible for throwing the petrol bomb through his neighbour’s window from CCTV showing him purchasing the petrol to forensic evidence linking him to the offence.

“In different circumstances, that act could have had tragic consequences and the length of his sentence reflects this.

“During interview, Palmer never offered up an explanation for his actions, but whatever his motivation, he will now have a considerable length of time to consider them.”