A man set fire to his bed putting people living in the flats above him at risk after ‘hearing voices’, a court has heard.

Declan Waring, 26, woke a woman who lived above him at his Crossdale Road, Bolton, flat by shouting loudly in the early hours of June 15 this year.

But, Bolton Crown Court heard how actions would soon escalate significantly as the neighbour continued to hear worrying noises at around 2am.

Niamh Ingham, prosecuting, said: “She heard the defendant shout ‘don’t call me a nonce’ and ‘I’ll stab you up.’”

Ms Ingham told the court how later that morning fire fighters were called after the smoke alarm went off and had to evacuate the building.

The firefighters found that Waring had set fire to his own bed, which he had used to barricade the way into his flat.

Waring himself was found on a grass verge later that morning having climbed out of the window and clearly in a distressed state.

 He was taken to hospital where he told staff that he had heard voices calling him a ‘nonce’ and that he had barricaded his door and set fire to his bed because he was scared.

Waring, who was previous convictions for criminal damage and assault, pleaded guilty to arson, being reckless as to whether life was endangered.

But Ms Ingham said there was no evidence he had used accelerants to set the fire, which appeared to have been started simply by applying a lighter to his bed.

Martin Pizzey, defending, admitted that the case had a ‘strange’ and ‘odd’ background to it but pointed out that no one had been harmed and that the blaze was comparatively minor.

He said: “The position is that it wasn’t much of a great effort if I might put it that way.”

The fire, according to Mr Pizzey, did not require extinguishing and simply went out by itself.

He called it “a rather modest fire with a limited amount of damage caused.”

Mr Pizzey told the court how Waring had suffered with a range of difficulties particularly with his mental health and with a very difficult upbringing but that he was determined to seek help and improve himself.

According to Mr Pizzey, Waring was prepared to accept whatever punishment the court believed was appropriate for what he had done.

 Judge Tom Gilbart accepted that the fire was clearly not planned or premediated and acknowledged that Waring had made strides in his attempt to rehabilitate himself since then.

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He also accepted that it was a ‘limited’ fire without accelerant having been used.

After taking time to think the case over, Judge Gilbart decided to suspend Waring’s sentence.

He gave Waring a sentence of 16 months, suspended for 24 months and a mental health treatment requirement of 12 months.

Judge Gilbart said: “I’ve placed my confidence in you as a result of what Mr Pizzey has said, it is up to you now to see that that confidence is not misplaced.”