Gillam Road incident sees David Walker jailed for 28 months

A major incident was declared and scores of people evacuated from their homes when David Walker risked lives in Gillam Road, Bournemouth in May this year.

Sentencing him at Bournemouth Crown Court, Judge Brian Forster QC said: “You created a potential bomb in a residential area. There could have been an explosion and it could have had fatal consequences.

“You created a very dangerous situation. This was a major incident. Anything could have happened.”

Walker, 44, of Gillam Road pleaded guilty to damaging property being reckless as to whether life was endangered on May 20 this year at an earlier hearing.

Prosecuting, Stuart Ellacott said police were called to Gillam Road at 2.40pm to reports of banging. Broken glass had been seen coming from Walker’s flat.

Officers spoke to him and left after he told them he would collect his prescription drugs as he had been struggling with mental health issues.

At 5pm police were again called after Walker had self-harmed and broken another window. He had also ripped a gas pipe off the kitchen wall and gas was leaking into the property.

Police, fire crews and gas company officials evacuated two blocks of flats and a nearby shop but Walker refused to come out of his flat until 8.30pm when he was arrested.

Readings taken by the gas company revealed that if the gas in the flat had ignited it would have caused substantial damage to buildings, residents and emergency workers.

Defending him, Tim Bradbury said he is doing all he can to address his drug and alcohol problems and added: “He was at a particularly low ebb.

“This was not an offence that was motivated in any way through a desire to harm others.

“He was in a terrible state. He wanted to get some sort of attention.”

Judge Forster added: “You created a situation over which you had no control. Once gas is released you have no control and there could have been a significant explosion which would have affected others.”