A court heard that a woman had to be rescued via an upstairs window to escape a blaze caused by a man who set fire to a council property.

Sean Houghton, 30, appeared remotely before Ipswich Crown Court for sentencing on Wednesday.

He had pleaded guilty to reckless endangerment to life, possession of cannabis and assaulting an emergency worker.

On May 26 last year, Houghton had set fire to the property where he lived in Spexhall Way in Lowestoft.

The court heard that Houghton suffers from significant mental health difficulties and that his carer had been concerned about his client’s “fascination with fire”.

On the day of the incident, Houghton was seen to leave and enter the property several times.

At around 6.30pm, he ran into the ground floor flat, which he shared with his carer, and shouted “Fire”.

The carer then saw a plume of smoke and soon the flames were “waist high”.

He tried to raise the alarm with the woman who lived in the upstairs flat. The court heard that, in her panic, she was unable to escape.

“Essentially, she was trapped,” said Lynne Shirley, prosecuting.

When the fire brigade arrived at the scene, the woman was helped to safety through a window.

Houghton was found a short distance away and arrested. He was found to have cannabis on his person, and later punched a police officer who entered his cell.

Both the woman and the carer had to be rehoused.

The court heard that in total, the fire – which Houghton had started using a mattress in the external bin storage area – had accrued £24,956 worth of damage.

Judge David Wilson heard from a consultant psychiatrist, who told the court that in his view, the most suitable place for Houghton would be a hospital, where he can access the appropriate mental health treatment he needs.

In his sentence Judge Wilson agreed that Houghton would remain in hospital in Norfolk under Section 37 of the Mental Health Act 1983, with restrictions imposed under Section 41.