A MAN who put a woman's life in danger by starting a fire has been remanded in custody.

Darren Durn also admitted harassing his victim as well as trying to start another blaze during the two months of offending.

The 50-year-old Melksham man pleaded guilty to arson being reckless as to whether the woman's life was endangered on Thursday, September 7 last year.

Just over a week earlier, on Monday, August 28, he admitted attempted arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered relating to the same victim.

And he also accepted he harassed the woman between the start of July and September 8 last year.

He cut phone lines, peered through windows and put liquid fire accelerant on to tiles outside of her residence.

Durn, of Hurricane Road, Bowerhill, was also charged with arson with intent to endanger life, as well as attempted arson with intent.

But after he entered guilty pleas to the lesser charges prosecutors said they would not seek a trial.

Ellen McAnaw, defending, said her client had been on remand in prison and a psychiatric unit for almost 11 months and asked for him to be released on bail.

She said his antipsychotic drugs were being administered by monthly injection and he had the address of a friend in Swindon available to him.

When he was first admitted to hospital she said he needed to be forcefully medicated as he did not accept he was ill, but had improved to such an extent he was being discharged.

His two grown-up children are also supporting him and approve of the proposed address away from Melksham, where they also live.

They would have been in court but his son was working and his daughter, who has just had a child, had an appointment with the midwife, she said.

Remanding him in custody, Judge Robert Pawson said that there was still a significant risk of him re-offending.

He adjourned the case to Friday, August 17 so a pre-sentence report can be prepared by the Probation Service and remanded him in custody until then.