A woman set fire to her own flat in a cry for help whilst on FaceTime with her family.
Siobhan Houldsworth was on video call to her sister over Facebook when she set alight a pile of clothes in her bedroom.
She implied that it was her plan to take her own life, Minshull Street Crown Court was told.
Emergency services raced to the scene where they found the 26-year-old on the balcony, before escorting her out.
Thankfully, no one was injured in the blaze, however damage was caused to her flat, the property below as well as the communal areas, with repairs costing between £15,000 and £25,000.
Houldsworth pleaded guilty to an offence of arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered and was today (March 1) jailed for two years.
Prosecutor Alistair Reid told the court that on October 6 last year, Houldsworth was on FaceTime to her family and during that call, she set fire to a pile of clothes.
“She made a comment suggesting she was intended to commit suicide,” he said.
“While the fire grew bigger an eyewitness, and family friend, said they could see Houldsworth walking around in the flat before police officers attended.
“At 12.07pm, officers attended and had to force the front door to the block of flats, before going up to her flat.
“They found the defendant in the living room leaning out the balcony.”
Officers tried to speak to Houldsworth to get her to leave but she was obstructive and refused and had to be placed in handcuffs, the court heard.
There was a suggestion she was intoxicated and that her mental health was affected.
The other flats were evacuated and the fire was able to be extinguished.
When she was arrested, she said: “I didn’t mean to do it, it was an accident”, but later admitted to the officers: “Obviously I tried to kill myself when I was on FaceTime to my family.”
She was treated in hospital for smoke inhalation and told staff that she had no recollection of the fire.
External damage was caused to her flat, as well as her flat below which was affected by water seeping through, the court heard.
It cost between £15,000 and £25,000 to refit the interior of her flat and rewire the flat underneath.
Houldsworth was said to have two previous convictions for dissimilar matters.
In mitigation, her barrister Andrew Nuttall said that she suffers from ‘complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder’.
“This is a young woman who needs and wants help,” he said.
“There is no clearer fact that this was a cry for help. She was not in her right state of mind.
“Her family are distraught at what happened and will do anything they can to help her.
“What’s happened to her has been painful for everybody and has been a very rude awakening for the defendant.
“She has done everything she can to get back on the road to recovery. This is a young woman with mental health issues not of her making.”
Sentencing, Judge Angela Nield said: “At the time you set the fire, it’s clear you were suffering significantly from excessive alcohol consumption, but more particularly, from significant mental health difficulties.
“This is a tragic case.
“There is evidence to suggest you had been seeking help for these difficulties for a significant period of time.
“Your actions on the day in question were a cry for help.
“This offence, without question, crosses the custody threshold. This was not a fire set in a single household - it was set where others, innocently, were going about their lives.
“There is a suggestion in the presentence report to refer you to psychological services for therapy. The court has to be satisfied there will be sufficient help and support for you.”
Houldsworth, of High Street, was jailed for two years.
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