Evil ex-boyfriend tried to burn house down with 'screaming' ex-partner and his baby inside

A young mother has recounted the harrowing experience of her malicious former partner plotting to burn down her house while she and her two children, one of whom was his own daughter, were asleep inside.

The incident occurred shortly after Cory Evans, 26, deliberately set a vehicle on fire outside her home, causing such intense flames that it spread to another car, shattered the windows of their house, and left her young children covered in black soot, reports WalesOnline.

Chloe Wallis has courageously chosen to speak out about her terrifying experience, criticising social services for their failure to intervene when her children were at risk.

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The council in charge of providing socials services has said it remains satisfied that the family had been offered extensive and appropriate support by various lead agencies, and that this had included offers of temporary accommodation.

The 24-year-old from Bridgend told WalesOnline she reported Evans to social services after the first incident, but was left with no option but to return to the property before the second and potentially fatal incident happened. “I genuinely felt like he was going to kill me and my children and that the social services - who were supposed to be there for my children - couldn't care if my kids died,” she said.

Describing how her relationship with Evans started, Chloe said he seemed like a "charming" guy who she never thought could be capable of such an evil crime. She said: “We met during a gathering with mutual friends in 2020. He was full on from the start and promised me the world. I would say within a month we got together. I couldn’t pick out any faults in him to begin with.”

She said the pair maintained a happy relationship until she discovered she was pregnant in May, 2021. From this point Chloe said Evans became threatening towards her in arguments. She explained: “He was never physically abusive, but he would threaten me in arguments. He would say ‘sleep with one eye open tonight’ and ‘I know where you live’.

“It started as soon as I was pregnant. I think it was all about control. He thought by having a child with me he had me and he thought he could control me through that.”

Chloe said she made attempts to leave Evans for good, but that he would threaten her and her family whenever she tried. She said this made her feel scared about leaving, even though she wanted to.

She said: “While I was pregnant I went into a refuge for months from around October, 2021 [because of Evans' behaviour]. I genuinely thought it was easier to be with him than to try and leave him because I was scared of what was going to happen to me and my children if I did leave. He was promising me the world. Back then I was young and I didn’t really know what else to do in that situation. He promised me this perfect family and I wanted to believe it.”

Chloe said the final straw came in April, 2022 - three months after she gave birth to Evans' child - when she finally ended the relationship for good. However, Chloe said the threats continued.

She described how Evans made attempts to worm his way back into her life. However, she refused to accept his advances. She said he was especially not happy when he learnt she had moved on with a new partner, which led to more threats, including that Evans would put her windows through.

“Even though the threats were there I really didn't think he would do it, especially because I had his daughter,” she said. “I thought we were safe because I thought he loved his daughter and wouldn’t do anything to potentially harm or upset her.”

But on April 2, 2023, Evans set a car alight outside Chloe’s home, which belonged to her new partner. She said: “It happened at 1.20am and we woke up to a loud bang. The flames were as big as my house and so close that my windows cracked. After that we stayed out, we were traumatised and the kids were traumatised.”

During the night after that incident, Chloe said she and her partner paid to put their family up in a hotel. She reported the incident to the police and to social services, but she said she was told there was nothing social services could do.

It meant Chloe felt she had no choice but to return back to the property the following evening. She said her family was lucky to be alive after what happened next. “The night we went back, we moved all my belongings to the middle of the living room because I thought my windows were going to be put through,” she said. “We were also all sleeping in the back bedroom as I thought it was the safest place if we did need to escape."

Unbeknown to the family, Evans had in fact plotted a second arson attack to take place that night - this time, on the house itself. A sentencing held at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court on Tuesday heard how on April 5, 2023 - three days after the first incident - evil Evans convinced three other feckless criminals to “do his dirty work for him”.

It included drug-hungry married couple Carl Rowe, 42, and Danielle Lewis-Rowe, 38 - who were paid by Evans in crack cocaine for their participation - as well as Evans’ friend Paul James, 40. The sentencing heard how Rowe drove his wife and James to Chloe's house, stopping on the way to pick up a jerry can and accelerant.

On arrival at the house in the middle of the night, James jumped out of the car and approached the property with the can full of petrol. He is seen on CCTV footage being spooked by a security light, before making a second attempt 30 minutes later and successfully pouring the liquid into the letterbox.

What happened next was described by Judge Eugene Egan as a potentially "life saving event", which stopped James from lighting the petrol ablaze. He said it allowed the family "the narrowest of narrow escapes", and predicted that without it, James would have lit the petrol on fire within the next few minutes.

Chloe explained: "My older daughter wouldn’t settle because she was so traumatised by the previous incident, so my partner took her to the front bedroom to try and calm her down. At that point he heard what sounded like liquid coming through the letterbox. He looked and there was someone pouring petrol through our letterbox.”

Chloe said her partner spooked James by banging on the window and shouting "oi". Adding: "If [James] had [succeeded the first time] then my house would have gone up. It’s so lucky that my daughter was awake when he came back the second time."

Chloe described the atmosphere in her house as “horrible” following the attempt, with her whole family terrified. “We were screaming and we didn't know if he was still outside going to light it,” she said. “There was such a strong smell of petrol.”

She said she called emergency services and escaped with her family through the back exit of the property. The court heard how, during a later police interview, Evans boasted that he has “got it in [him] to commit murder". Although the incident was reported to the police, with social services aware children were involved, Chloe claimed she again received no support. This time it saw the young family living in hotels out of their own money for weeks.

She claimed: “We had no help from social services. They expected me and my children to stay in that house. I booked hotels everywhere: I stayed at Travelodge, Holiday Inn and Premier Inn - all out of my own money. I’d go anywhere I could until someone offered us to stay with them over Easter.

“We paid enough money for [around two weeks] living out in hotels, until we had no money left. We stayed with the person I know for two or three weeks. I was on the phone to [social services] pleading with them saying I have no money, saying my child goes to school out of the area and I didn’t drive at this point.”

Eventually, Chloe said the council housing department offered her temporary accommodation - which lasted a few weeks - until Evans was arrested and remanded following a short bail.

However, even after his arrest Chloe claimed Evans continued to contact her and her family, meaning she continued to feel unsafe. She said she felt completely let down by social services.

“Social services completely let me down, but especially my children," she claimed. "I don't know why they didn't want to get involved. We wore black to court and my mum said we could have been wearing that to mine and my children's funerals. They really messed up., During the trial period I had to put my children out of my care with other family members because I was being threatened and they still were not helping me. I’m a young woman with two little children - I can only do so much. I can't afford to put me and my children in hotels. Me and my family did the social services’ job for them."

Choe said the trauma of Evans’ - and his accomplices’ - actions along with the lack of support from social services had led to her struggling with her mental health and being diagnosed with PTSD. She said she continued to live in fear. “The stress of begging social services for help affected my mental health. I feel completely let down for my children. I jump if I hear loud noises and I can’t shower on my own. I’m scared someone is going to try and hurt me when I’m at home. I’ve been on medication for the last year and there is not much more they can do. I have to have special counselling which I’m still waiting for.”

Chloe said that since the trial concluded she had received support from social services. She said she was pleased to have appropriate help, but felt it was too little too late. She said: “They’re acting now how they should have acted at the time, when I was in immediate danger. I am still at risk but I’ve come a long way since then. Back then all I wanted was support for my children.”

A council spokesman said: “Miss Wallis and her family have been through a dreadful experience, and we hope the fact that the perpetrators have been brought to justice will offer them all some reassurance. While we are unable to discuss confidential cases in specific detail, the council remains satisfied that the family has been offered extensive and appropriate support by various lead agencies, and that this has included offers of temporary accommodation.

“We are pleased to note that Miss Wallis has indicated her satisfaction with the level of support that she is receiving from social workers, and would be happy to meet with her to discuss and clarify any part of this in more detail.”

• If you or someone you know is affected by domestic abuse visit the Live Fear Free website or call the helpline on 0808 80 10 800

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