A WOMAN who set fire to her own home has been jailed.

Hayley Moss has been sentenced to three years in prison after starting a fire which caused more than £35,000 worth of damage.

The 59-year-old committed the arson at a property she was living at on Walnut Avenue in Weaverham, owned by Weaver Vale Housing Trust.

Prosecuting, Oliver Saddington said Moss made herself known to police when they arrived at the scene on November 30, 2022.

She reportedly told the officer: “I lost it, I completely lost it, I smashed the kitchen up.”

Mr Saddington added that the living room, kitchen and hall had all been damaged.

Moss, who has since been living with her mother in Weaverham, then attempted to set fire to the carpet in the hall but was unsuccessful.

At which point she set alight curtains and a Christmas tree in the living room.

Mr Saddington added: “She said she did so because she was stressed.

“She did not think of her neighbours throughout the incident. She had no intention of hurting anyone else.”

He added that the incident was a category one arson offence - that which involves serious harm and a high value of damage.

However, Sarah Badrawy, defending, argued that while the £35,425 value was high, the risk of harm was only 'significant', making it a category two offence.

She said: “This is an extremely sad case.

“She has always been frank with everyone and also displayed deep regret and a high level of victim empathy.

“Her intent was self-harm rather than intending to cause harm to anyone else.

“She can’t explain why she acted in the way she did that day. She wasn’t thinking straight.”

Moss has not drunk alcohol since the fire and has been taking a 'cocktail of medicines' for various ailments, including blood cancer, diabetes, COPD, and restless legs.

Given her guilty plea and lack of previous convictions, Ms Badrawy asked the judge for Moss’ sentence to be shortened.

Judge Michael Leeming decided the offence was somewhere between category one and two.

Sentencing, he said: “You are 59 years of age, a lady of no previous convictions, no history of criminal behaviour, yet here you are in courtroom one of Chester Crown Court having pleaded guilty to a very serious charge indeed.

“During the course of that night, in your words, you ‘lost it’ but certainly you were going through a very difficult time in your life and responded by, in your words, ‘smashing up the kitchen’.

“You made full admissions and pleaded guilty at the first opportunity, that will result in a significant reduction in your sentence.”

Mr Leeming sentenced Moss to three years in prison, with the possibility of returning for a further seven months if she reoffends upon her release.