A TEN-FLOOR skyscraper in Slough could have gone up in flames in what would have been a ‘nightmare scenario’ after a woman lit two small fires in a ‘cry for help’.

The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has been in prison since the incident in March 2021.

Despite already serving eight months behind bars, the woman will serve at least another two weeks in custody in order to secure accommodation when she is released.

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A court heard how the woman had been through a difficult period in her life prior to lighting the fires which forced her to turn to drink.

His Honour Judge Paul Dugdale said this sentence would be the best for her and the best for the public, as securing accommodation would reduce her risk to the public.

What happened?

The fires were discovered by a resident on the tenth floor of the Skyline apartment block on Slough High Street on March 19, 2021.

Here, she discovered burning pieces of cardboard in a metal bowl.

She put the fire out with some water from her flat after the flames had reached a height of around 5 inches.

Assessing the impact of the fire, a local fire station manager said: “If the fire had taken hold, it would have been a nightmare scenario.”

Richard Burrington, prosecuting, said: “In terms of the material damage caused, it was extremely limited.”

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Later in the sentencing, Judge Dugdale assessed the fires. He said: “The court can look at these fires in two ways. On the one hand, they are two very small fires lit in a bowl.

“Unfortunately, on the other hand, they were lit on the tenth floor of a building of flats. The reality is, had that bowl been knocked over or a curtain had caught fire, that block of flats would have been at risk of going up in flames.

He later added: “I accept it was not your intention to put other people at risk. I accept you lit these fires as a cry for help due to the depths your mental health had deteriorated.

“But in doing so, you put a lot of people’s lives at risk.”

What did the defence and the Judge say?

The woman’s defence barrister, Mariska Van Leeuwen, said the woman was voluntarily homeless and that she had £40 to her name.

It was agreed with Judge Dugdale that the woman would have nowhere to stay if she were to be released from prison today, but that she would be eligible for hostel accommodation from the probation service if she were to be handed a custodial prison sentence.

He said: “Although I’m not convinced a custodial sentence is the right sentence, it may be the best case for everybody.

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“You are someone who has suffered a lot of difficulties in your life.

He added: “I’m very worried about your release from prison without you having somewhere to live.

“The best way forward is to pass a prison sentence upon you which means you would stay in prison for another 2.5 weeks.”

What sentence did the woman receive?

His Honour Judge Dugdale passed a 76 week prison sentence. As she has already served eight months behind bars and because she will serve half this sentence in custody, the woman will only serve another 2.5 weeks in prison.

The judge said: “The court wants to make it plain that it does not view you as a bad person or someone who does things to hurt anybody.

“The court has got to get the balance right between protecting the public, protecting you and making sure you don’t pose a risk to anyone in the future.”

Upon receiving her sentence, the woman told the judge she will ‘make it work.’

The woman was sentenced for one count of arson leading to recklessness as to whether life is endangered at Reading Crown Court on Wednesday, November 10.