A man has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for attempting to murder his wife by setting fire to her home. Nicholas Martin, 63, was found guilty of the crime at Minshull Street Crown Court. The court heard that Martin had stalked his wife, Emma, for several days before the attack. In the early hours of the morning, he arrived at her home in Eccles, poured petrol through the letterbox, and ignited it. Emma Martin, 52, a senior civil servant with His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, was trapped on the first floor of the house. In a desperate bid to escape, she jumped from her bedroom window, suffering severe injuries in the process. She broke both ankles and a bone in her back during the fall. After the incident, Nicholas Martin fled to the Lake District but was apprehended the following day. Judge Maurice Greene described the attack as "wicked, planned and premeditated," noting that it occurred while the victim was asleep and therefore most vulnerable. Martin, who previously held a position as head of estates at Salford Royal Hospital and the Manchester Royal Infirmary, will now serve a lengthy prison sentence for his actions.