A MAN who set fire to his neighbour’s hedge caused real fear to a witness who had experienced a blaze at her home previously.
Ravinder Chungh lit a plastic bottle and discarded it near to some homes close to his own address in Bradley.
Witnesses were able to extinguish the flames prior to the arrival of firefighters.
It was the second fire started in the area on the same day.
Chungh was not responsible for the earlier blaze but had been given a police caution for setting fire to his wheelie bin.
He pleaded guilty to arson when he appeared at Kirklees Magistrates’ Court.
Prosecutor Bill Astin said that the fire in Park Lea was started at around 1.30am on June 2.
He told the Huddersfield court: “The defendant was seen by two witnesses near to a fence in the residential area.
“He had a plastic bottle and was lighting it and this caused a small fire, damaging the hedge.”
The flames were extinguished by the witnesses, Mr Astin added.
He explained that it was the second blaze to hit the area following a “spontaneous combustion” earlier the same day.
There was CCTV footage of the incident and 39-year-old Chung was arrested.
A young woman was described as being particularly alarmed by what happened as she had experienced a fire at her own home previously.
The court heard that Chungh had a previous conviction dated from August last year for wasting police time.
He made 15 calls to the police in 11 months and in one emergency call made up a story that one of his relatives had gone missing.
The court heard that he had an issue with alcohol, having started drinking mainly spirits in his late teens.
Chungh was also cautioned after setting fire to his bin in the same location.
District Judge Michael Fanning said: “This is a serious matter and what happened caused real fear to a young witness who experienced fire damage that almost spread to her home address on a previous occasion.
“She saw what happened, saw you lighting this fire and this has caused her real anxiety.
“That’s the reality of setting fires, people are cautious of them because they are unpredictable.
“We’re aware of the recent national news and incidents of fire and how quickly they get out of control.
“It’s only fortunate that somebody saw you and stopped the fire from spreading along the hedge.”
Judge Fanning sentenced Chungh to 12 weeks in custody suspended for a year.
To stop him from going out in the early hours and committing similar offences, he must abide by a three month curfew between the hours of 9pm and 7am.
He also has to pay £85 costs and £115 victim surcharge.
