Man 'tried to set landlords on fire' with flamethrower after being evicted

A man 'tried to set his landlords on fire' using a terrifying makeshift flamethrower after discovering he was being evicted.

Piergiuliano Atzori attacked the couple who rented him his flat using the dangerous weapon which he fashioned out of a can of deodorant and a cigarette lighter - leaving one of his victims screaming in fear as a jet of flames 'came within inches of her face.'

Police have now released a custody picture of the thug.

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Liverpool Crown Court heard previously heard that the husband and wife own the shared accommodation on Minerva Close in Latchford, Warrington, where the 31-year-old was a tenant, the ECHO reports.

Joanne Maxwell, prosecuting, described how his landlord called Cheshire Police at around 12.30pm on March 7 this year to report that Atzori had "tried to set her and her husband on fire", with her partner still tussling with him in a hallway at that time.

She stated that she had been cleaning communal areas of the property when she heard the defendant "shouting her name". As she approached his bedroom, he "took out a large deodorant can and a lighter, then sprayed the deodorant and used the lighter to ignite the spray".

Flames were "projected towards her" as a result, leaving her "fearful for her life". She ran out of the building and dialled 999, at which point her husband "went to see what had happened".

Atzori "again used the lighter and deodorant to project fire towards him", causing him to scurry and hide behind the kitchen door. After a short time, the complainant partially opened the door again to see if his attacker had left - but the firebug sent another plume of flames through the