A 25-year-old woman who deliberately set fire to her house after a row with her boyfriend has been jailed for 15 months.

Amanda Docherty had to be rescued from the smoke-filled building when she lit a cushion with a cigarette.

She put her elderly neighbour at risk and spent a night in hospital suffering from smoke inhalation, Leeds Crown Court heard.

Docherty, of Mount Street, Cleckheaton, pleaded guilty to reckless arson on March 8. Sentence was adjourned until yesterday for reports.

Prosecutor Sheila Aldridge told the court that Docherty had lived at the Mount Street address with her boyfriend Richard Boyes for about a year. But he had left the house six months before the fire was started on February 1 this year.

However, the couple had continued with an on-off relationship and Mr Boyes sometimes stayed over at the house.

Mrs Aldridge said that, on the evening of February 1, they had been to an ex-serviceman's club together. They fell out and Docherty was sulking and in a bad mood. Mr Boyes became fed up with her and tried to leave the house. Mrs Aldridge said that Docherty grabbed his ankles as he tried to leave by the front door and bolted the back door to prevent him going. She then deliberately cut her hand with a piece of glass as an "attention seeking gesture".

Mr Boyes finally managed to go but Docherty shouted after him that she was going to set her house on fire.

The court heard that Mr Boyes went to stay with his mother who lives nearby and she told him Docherty had rung her to say that she had set her house on fire. His mother had then called the fire brigade.

Docherty's brother James dashed to the house with a fire extinguisher. He could see that the property was alight and when he kicked open the front door, smoke bellowed out.

Mrs Aldridge said that Docherty was upstairs and he tried several times to reach her but was beaten back by thick smoke.

Eventually Docherty came down herself and James managed to grab her legs and drag her out onto the street. He gave her first aid until the fire service arrived.

Mrs Aldridge said the two-storey terraced house was not insured by the landlord. There was smoke damage to every room, the living room window was smashed and paintwork damaged.

Docherty was treated in hospital for smoke inhalation.

Next day she told police that the blaze was accidentally caused by her cigarette but then she admitted deliberately setting fire to a cushion. She told officers she was angry with her boyfriend and wanted him to come back.

Mrs Aldridge said that Docherty's 63-year-old next-door neighbour Barry Evans had to be escorted from his property during the fire.

Steven Roberts said in mitigation that Docherty was aware that it was a serious matter and fearful of going to prison.

She had pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and did what she could to make amends.

Her relationship with Mr Boyes was over and she continued to pay rent for the property which she was redecorating herself.

Although there had been a potential risk to neighbours, there was no damage to other homes.

She had suffered from depression since her father died 18 months ago and her self-inflicted hairloss meant that she was allowed to wear a cap in the dock.

Recorder Henry Prosser told Docherty it was a very sad case but too serious to avoid an immediate custodial sentence.

Docherty was led weeping from the dock.