THIS is the chilling moment a woman torched her block of flats – before calmly walking away.
Nora Ward, 62, set fire to the communal entrance of her housing block in Wythenshawe, Manchester, after a 10-year dispute with neighbours came to a head in May this year.
The nuisance neighbour was handed a suspended sentence at Manchester Crown Court for arson earlier this month, and has been allowed to continue living at her home on Leybrook Road.
CCTV images show a person, understood to be Ward, carrying something ignited as they walk to the main front door of the apartment block.
In the footage, she calmly walks away after placing the item by the door as her neighbours slept. The door is the only exit for the three other families who live there.
Manchester Crown Court previously heard that residents in the block could smell smoke in the early hours of May 23, before noticing the communal door had been damaged in the morning.
The court heard a dispute between Ward and another resident, Nicola Wilde, had been going on for years.
Issues between the two had come before the county court before, with Ward engaging in anti-social behaviour "in and around" the victim's address.
And, in the days and weeks leading up to the main incident on May 23, two fires were started in the communal area and had to be put out, the court was told.
Following the blaze on May 23, which caused £1,500 of damage, Ward told police she couldn't remember what had happened as she'd been drinking.
Despite neighbours speaking of their fear that they could have been killed, and concerns Ward could strike again, a 15-month sentence for arson with intent to endanger life, was suspended for two years.
She has since been allowed to return to her property on Leybrook Road – much to the distress of Ms Wilde who said she has been forced to leave her flat and stay with her partner some 40 miles away.
At the previous court hearing, Judge Nicholas Dean KC said: "Starting a fire is arson and there was a risk to peoples’ wellbeing and they could have been harmed or killed, it’s a very serious offence.
"Your neighbours are fearful about the persistence of you doing this again. I hope that you won’t do it again."
A spokesperson for Wythenshawe Community Housing Group, who manage the building, said: "We are aware of the ongoing dispute between Ms Wilde and her neighbour Ms Ward.
"Following Ms Ward’s release from prison we are liaising with the police and probation services to ensure the appropriate safety measures are put in place.
"This will include replacing the damaged communal door which has unfortunately been delayed due to supply chain issues.
In addition, Ms Wilde has been receiving assistance from our Living Well Team and we are supporting her request to be rehoused in another area.
"We are committed to ensuring our customers feel safe within their homes and take these matters seriously."
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