Canterbury Crown Court, where Martin appeared

by Paul Hooper

A Dover man has been put until partial house arrest for three months - after starting a garden fire which wrecked a Wendy house.

South African Steven Martin, 45, began a blaze that burned fiercely and terrified a young mother when her wooden fence also caught alight.

Unemployed security guard Martin, of Athorn Road, Shepherdswell, claimed he started the fire after discarding a cigarette as he took plants from the garden of a derelict house.

But Judge Adele Williams told him: "Those who start fires commit very serious offences. Your conduct was both irresponsible and unacceptable.

"The neighbour was a young woman with small children who said later that it was extremely frightening."

She handed out an eight-month jail sentence - suspended for two years - and ordered him to do 100 hours of unpaid work for the community after he admitted reckless arson.

Martin, who had been drinking prior to starting the fire, was also given a 12-week electronically monitored curfew keeping him in his home between 8pm and 7am.

James Bilsland, prosecuting, told Canterbury Crown Court: "On October 6 2011 there was a fire in South Road Dover at a property that was unoccupied.

"People living next door looked out and saw the defendant in the back garden. He was in possession of some plant pots. He left but returned and as he left again, the neighbours noticed flames coming from a Wendy house in next door's garden."

Firefighters arrived and extinguished the blaze "which was quite fierce, but quite short", the prosecutor said.

Martin was recognised and later arrested, telling police he had walked past what he thought was a derelict property and took the plant pots - "not really believing it to be theft".

When he couldn't pick up one pot because it was too heavy, he threw away his cigarette - but didn't see where it went.

Martin claimed he panicked after seeing flames and fled the scene when people started shouting that he had started the fire.

He said he now feels genuine remorse and shame over what he did and was ordered to pay £250 compensation for the damaged fence.