A woman who tried to set her neighbour's flat on fire after a decade long dispute has been spared jail. Nora Ward had been causing worry for years to the neighbours in her community housing block in Wythenshawe.
The 62-year-old had a “history of incidents” with a particular neighbour in their Wythenshawe Community Housing Group controlled block. The two had been neighbours for a ‘decade’, Manchester Crown Court heard.
Issues between the two had come before the county court before with Ward engaging in anti-social behaviour “in and around” the victim’s address. Robert Elias, prosecuting, said: “There was ill feeling between the two and the long standing matter was persisting at the time. This caused a lot of problems over the years.
READ MORE: Urgent appeal after four hurt in 'random' knife attacks in Manchester - police want to find this man
Mr Elias continued that in the days and weeks leading up to the incident before the court, in April and May, there had been fires started in the communal hallway and doorsteps. The door in the communal hallway was the only exit for others in the block and two fires had to be put out in the lead up to the main incident on May 23.
The neighbour at the brunt of Ward’s attacks “decided to stay elsewhere” for a time after these incidents. On the evening of May 22, another neighbour saw Ward walking into her flat with shopping which included bottles of alcohol which they were suspicious might be used for starting another fire.
They switched on a motion detecting CCTV camera for the hallway which showed Ward entering the hallway a few times in the early hours of May 23 before “carrying something alone and ignited” and laying it down on the neighbours doorstep just before 3am. Another neighbour from the block said they were woken up twice by this and could smell smoke, before noticing the communal door had been damaged in the morning.
The communal door had to be replaced after this, costing more than £1,500. Ward was arrested on May 24 and told police she could not remember what had happened as she had been drinking.
“She said it would be ridiculous and wouldn’t do that,” Mr Elias said. One neighbour made a victim impact statement which was read out in court by Mr Elias, saying: “The fires that have been set are getting closer to my property, I’m worries mine will be set on fire endangering me and my family. This could end up with somebody being killed by her actions. It’s got to stop before going too far.”
Jane Dagnall, defending Ward, said she pleaded guilty after it was determined that she could be tried following a psychological assessment, so should be given maximum credit. Ward had also been in custody for around five months since her initial arrest.
Judge Nicholas Dean KC handing Ward a 15 month sentence suspended for two years for arson with intent to endanger life, said: “Starting a fire is arson and there was a risk to peoples’ wellbeing and they could have been harmed or killed, it’s a very serious offence. Your neighbours are fearful about the persistence of you doing this again.
“I hope that you won’t do it again.” Ward, of Leybrook Road, Wythenshawe, was also ordered to work 40 rehabilitation days.
For more of today's top stories click here.
READ NEXT:
-
CCTV captures terrifying moment police car ploughs into metal barrier in horror smash
-
CCTV appeal after man breaks into sleeping woman's home and rapes her
-
Vigilante couple 'took the law into their own hands' with a machete in revenge attack
-
Mum 'lost for words' after newborn baby is diagnosed with gonorrhoea
