AN ODDBALL who put the lives of Worcester residents in grave danger by causing a massive explosion is facing a lengthy prison sentence.

Christopher Wisocki set ablaze ten litres of petrol he bought from a garage before fleeing from his flat.

The fire spread from a staircase and ignited petrol vapour in his Droitwich Road premises, blowing out the window frames.

Brickwork cascaded down into the street and onto a parked BMW car.

But a security guard passing the scene alerted other residents in the first floor flats and miraculously no-one was injured.

A jury unanimously convicted 22-year-old Wisocki yesterday (Wed) of arson while reckless whether life was endangered. The maximum sentence is life imprisonment.

Judge David McEvoy QC said the jobless loner was "a serious danger" to the public after hearing he had a previous conviction for wounding.

He ordered pre-sentence and psychiatric reports and remanded Wisocki in custody.

Wisocki moved into his flat eight weeks before the explosion on September 14 last year, Worcester Crown Court heard.

Although he claimed to be happy, Claire Dimmock, who worked in a garage opposite, said he would sit for hours on end staring out of his window and playing loud music.

He wore a beanie hat and his coat zipped up to the neck, often visiting the garage for food.

"He was a strange individual and spoke in a slow, gruff voice. When he looked at you he really stared," she said.

On the day of the blaze he was drunk on half a bottle of brandy, dropping his money in the garage.

Wisocki, who was barred from a pub near his home, was heard playing music by a neighbour until after midnight.

Security guard Martin Moss saw a man fleeing from the scene and then watched horrified as flames shot through the collapsed roof.

Wisocki was arrested at a Worcester housing office later the same day, claiming in court that he had an alibi for the time of the fire. But he produced no witness.

He said he was the victim of a feud over an ex-girlfriend and that he knew the identity of the arsonist, but refused to "grass" him up to police.

A forensic scientist found petrol traces and scorch marks on Wisocki's clothing.

The blaze cost PR Kitchens on the ground floor of the building over £47,000 in wrecked stock and lost trade.

Defence counsel Abigail Nixon paid tribute to Mr Moss whose bravery had helped people get to safety.

She said Wisocki was an oddball who had left 50 CDs at his flat along with his grandfather's wedding ring and family photographs.

She added; "He was a frightened man. Something had been happening to him and he was frightened to tell police because of repercussions in the future."

Prosecutor Lawrence Watts said: "This not-too-happy loner was depressed, turned to booze and did something incredibly stupid and dangerous."