A man lit a string of fires across Bradford because he is vengeful and dangerous, a Court heard.

James Bradshaw, 24, is accused of using fire as a weapon to target the property of people who had upset him.

He is charged with 18 arson attacks on homes, caravans, outbuildings and vehicles.

Bradshaw is alleged to have left a trail of damage during five years of setting deliberate fires, three of which endangered lives. He denies all the charges.

The jury at Leeds Crown Court heard he was arrested in March last year after the bungalow where he was living in Donisthorpe Street, West Bowling, was set alight causing extensive damage.

Yesterday, prosecuting counsel Gordon Lakin told the jury in his closing speech: "This man is a dangerous man. He threatens people, he bears grudges and he starts fires because he is upset with the owners of various properties."

Mr Lakin stressed to the court that these were not reckless offences but deliberate. Neighbours were endangered when semi-detached homes were set alight. One fire spread through to the roof void of the house next door but fortunately no-one was in there.

"If you set a fire in a semi-detached home you put your neighbours in danger and anyone who has to come and deal with it," Mr Lakin told the jury.

He said the bungalow in Donisthorpe Street had been burning for 40 minutes by the time the fire service arrived.

"These are substantial fires and dangerous," he said.

Mr Lakin said that the evidence in the case was all circumstantial. No-one had seen Bradshaw actually putting a match to anything.

"What are the odds you would get from a bookmaker of one person being at 18 fires over a period of five years? They must be thousands to one, mustn't they?" said Mr Lakin.

He pointed to the fact that Bradshaw had chosen not to take the stand to give evidence.

"It has now dawned on him that he has no real answers to the counts levelled by the Crown," Mr Lakin stated.

He accused Bradshaw of deliberately setting fire to an empty house in Curlew Street, Little Horton, near the gas meter on December 25, 2001. The meter melted in the heat and escaping gas caused a danger.

"He obviously had nothing much to do that Christmas Day.

"But for the timely intervention of the fire brigade, there cold have been an almighty explosion round the gas meter," said Mr Lakin.

Sarah Barlow, defending Bradshaw, told the jury the real question for them was: "Did he do it? And was it him that set the fires?"

She added that Bradshaw had told the police: "I know what it looks like. I know it looks bad, but it wasn't me."

Commenting on the fact that Bradshaw had chosen not to give evidence, Miss Barlow said he answered questions when interviewed by the police.

She said that Bradshaw was an "odd-ball" and it was in his nature to exaggerate and lie. "It's what he does," she said.

She conceded that he pretended to be a site foreman or a security guard at the scene of some of the blazes. Witnesses had described him as a "wannabe" and "a little simple".

Miss Barlow said he was also spoken of as being industrious, hard-working, helpful and a very good JCB driver.

"He is a little odd, but somebody who is helpful and who is always actively seeking work," she told the jury.

She said Bradshaw's passion was to be involved in the building trade and he was always hanging round such places looking for work.