Worksop man killed in house explosion warned friends "it's going out with a bang" after rent rise
A Worksop man had been threatening to blow up his house after becoming upset by an £80 per month rent increase on the day he died in an explosion, an inquest has heard.
David Howard, 53 and his dog Roxy, who had lived in the house in John Street, Worksop for 11 years were found in the rubble of the home on 12 April 2025 following the explosion.
A post-mortem examination found Howard died from asphyxia caused by being trapped under the rubble, but the inquest heard he was communicating with emergency services for up to 90 minutes before he died.
The inquest in Worksop on Monday heard he had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and struggled with his mental health for several years.
A toxicology report showed Mr Howard had low levels of heroin, cocaine and alcohol in his system.
The inquest heard Mr Howard had been upset for three days worrying about his rent hike – that was going up by £80 to £540 per month - and had not been sleeping properly and refusing help from friends.
Following the news he told a number of friends that afternoon that he was going to "blow the house up", saying "you wait until the end of the day".
Giving evidence at Monday's hearing, Det Con Daniel Akehurst, of Nottinghamshire Police, told how friend Shanelle Williams described him as being "in a mood and depressed", that he had told her he had "pulled the pipes" and that "it's going to go with a bang."
Around 50 people from 35 properties were evacuated and one other person was taken to hospital with minor injuries following the blast.
Nearby homes and cars were damaged by the blast, with 14 households being unable to return to their homes in the wake of the incident due to the police cordon.
The cause of the explosion was listed as a gas leak from a cooker, likely ignited by the capacitor of his fridge which had been "ripped out".
Assistant coroner Nathanael Hartley said he accepted Howard had caused damage to the gas cooker hose intentionally, but that the level of intoxicants in his blood may have resulted in "mild, cognitive impairment" which impacted his rational thought.
Recording a narrative conclusion, he added: "It is possible he did not appreciate the dangerousness of the situation. With that in mind, I find [Howard] did not intend to end his own life."
A 43-year-old was initially arrested on suspicion of murder after the explosion, but was later released without charge.
Nottinghamshire Police told the inquest officers had found no evidence of any third-party involvement in Howard's death.
Nearly one year on from the explosion, the home on John Street remains sealed off ahead of reconstruction.