A divorcee who tried to kill himself by setting fire to his own home has been jailed for three-and-a-half years.

Charlie McPeake, 56, had been on trial at Bradford Crown Court accused of arson being reckless as to whether the lives of people in adjoining properties would have be endangered by the blaze at his home in Lumbfoot, Stanbury, Keighley, last October.

But on the final day of the trial yesterday a new charge of arson being reckless as to whether the lives of any rescuers would be endangered was added to the indictment and McPeake pleaded guilty to that offence.

The Honorary Recorder of Bradford Judge Stephen Gullick discharged the jury from returning a verdict in respect of the original offence. During the trial the jury heard how McPeake and his wife had divorced in April last year, but they had since failed to agree a financial settlement. Neighbours were alerted to the blaze at 7.30am when one of them saw smoke coming from McPeake's end terraced cottage.

A motorbike was ablaze in the yard and when one neighbour tried to get McPeake to leave the property he told her he wanted to burn.

The court heard how two neighbours got into the house with a fire extinguisher and McPeake had to be restrained by one of them as he tried to prevent them putting out a blaze in the living room. The neighbours left without realising that other fires had been started in different parts of the house and when the fire brigade arrived McPeake was seen to run from his home and jump on one of the officers. An investigation later revealed that fires had been started deliberately in different parts of the house and containers of white spirit or turpentine were recovered. In a statement, McPeake's wife said their jointly-owned house had been gutted by the fire and smoke also managed to get into to the unoccupied holiday home next door.

McPeake admitted to the jury that he intended to "bring an end to it all" by starting the blaze, but maintained that the structure of his home would have meant that the fire would have not have spread. He accepted being a binge drinker and said he had no recollection of starting the fires.

Judge Gullick said McPeake had made a determined attempt to commit suicide and it was clear that he had consumed alcohol. He described it as a well-planned-out offence and noted that McPeake had also intended to deprive his former wife of her interest in the former matrimonial home.