A 56-YEAR-OLD woman accused of a string of arson attacks on her neighbours' homes has gone on trial at Bradford Crown Court.

Jean Hinchcliffe is alleged to have put lighted paper through the letter boxes of three houses on Thornhill Bridge Lane, Bradford Road, Brighouse, in what were described as "motiveless" attacks.

She has pleaded not guilty to three counts of arson with intent to endanger life and three alternative counts of arson being reckless as to whether life would be endangered.

Andrew Semple, prosecuting, told the court Hinchcliffe had no previous problems with her neighbours but in July last year, in the early hours of the morning, she stuffed burning paper into Horace Oliver's letter box.

Mr Oliver, a delivery driver, was out at the time of the alleged attack but returned to find that his front door had been burned. He noticed some paper stuck behind a drainpipe which he gave to police. It was sent off for forensic examination and found to contain Hinchcliffe's fingerprints.

Mr Semple told the court that a couple of weeks later Hinchcliffe carried out her second attack.

Paper doused in a petrol-type substance was put through the letterbox of Mr John Crossley-Spencer's home.

Mr Crossley-Spencer, a severe asthmatic, saw a hand with a pink sleeve poking through. He put out the fire and opened the door and told the police that he had seen Hinchcliffe running up her drive wearing a pink dressing gown.

Officers went to the defendant's house and noticed that it smelt of petrol. They also found a torn-up copy of What's on TV? magazine which matched exactly the charred remains found on Mr Crossley-Spencer's floor.

Hinchcliffe was arrested but denied any involvement in the attacks and was bailed to an address outside the Thornhill Bridge Lane area.

Mr Semple told the court that in September, Hinchcliffe carried out her third attack in the same street.

Again in the early hours of the morning lighted paper was stuffed through the letterbox and when police were called they found a single black leather glove on the floor outside.

They then went to the defendant's bail address at around 3am were they found her fully dressed searching in her car.

She told officers that she had lost her glove and when they looked in the house they found the matching glove.

Hinchcliffe continued to deny that she had been responsible for the attacks saying that she had not started any fires.

The trial continues.