A WREXHAM plasterer who started a fire outside the home of his ex-partner and children has been jailed.

Mark Harrison, aged 33 and of Bryn Place in Llay, appeared before Mold Crown Court for sentencing on Tuesday afternoon.

He had already admitted an offence of arson and another of assaulting a police officer, both of which occurred in Llay on May 9 this year.

Myles Wilson, prosecuting, said in the weeks leading up to the offences Harrison's former partner Tracy Morris had ended their nine-year relationship.

This decision was followed by Harrison sending her abusive messages, including that he would "kill her" and "put a knife through her head", the court heard.

On the day in question, Miss Morris reported Harrison to police due to the nature of the messages and a friend had called round to her Llay home after worrying about her.

At around 7.10pm as she was putting one of her children to bed when she heard a noise outside.

She saw Harrison through the window, "stumbling" through the garden gate and after opening her front door was met by two to three foot flames.

A recycling bag containing paper was ablaze and a garden chair had been propped against the door.

Miss Morris and her friend managed to extinguish the flames by throwing bowls of water over the bag.

The police were called and Harrison was found nearby with a can of beer.

On the way to Llay Police Station, he began headbutting the partition in the police vehicle and saying "I will burn her house down".

At the station he refused to get out of the vehicle and in the process of being removed, he kicked out and injured PC Andrew Blake.

Mr Wilson said: "At interview he admitted lighting this fire.

"He said he couldn't remember kicking PC Blake and apologised for it.

"He refused to apologise to Tracy Morris. The prosecution says he must have known Tracy Morris and her three children - two of which are his - were home."

Henry Hills, defending, said his client's life had been "blighted by substance misuse".

He said: "We know his relationship with Miss Morris broke down and that seems to have been a trigger. "He is someone with a strong work ethic - he's a plasterer and tells me as soon as he is released from his prison sentence he will have work to go to.

"It is clear he needs therapeutic intervention and one hopes he will avail himself of that in a custodial setting."

Mr Recorder Duncan Bould told Harrison that in respect of the arson, he had been "reckless as to whether life was endangered".

He continued: "You fell into the habit of sending abusive messages to Miss Morris. On this day she was sufficiently concerned that she contacted the police.

"Unbeknown to her you decided to intoxicate yourself with a cocktail of drugs and alcohol.

"She heard bottles falling outside and it is good fortune that sound was caused because it caused her to look outside.

"What the consequences of that fire could have been, had her attention not been drawn, we can only imagine.

"In a statement prepared by Miss Morris, she retracted her complaint against you, citing she doesn't want to feel responsible for you being unable to see your children and wanted to remain amicable with you.

"It is interesting to note she has empathy, a sense of your feelings and the position you are in - when you appear to show no empathy at all to her or the children. "The offence of arson was not the end of your criminal behaviour - when police arrived you became threatening and on arrival [at Llay Police Station] you kicked out at PC Blake."

He told Harrison his thinking had been "distorted" at the time of the offence and that he was "adamant his action had no effect on the children whatsoever."

"In my view these are expressions of a dangerous delusion," he said.

"You designate yourself as being 'not an angry man'.

"That illustrates, in my view, a total lack of insight on your part."

Harrison received a jail sentence of 36 months for the offence of arson, and a separate sentence of six months for assaulting PC Blake.

The sentences are to be served consecutively, giving him a total imprisonment term of three-and-a-half-years.

He was also made the subject of a five-year restraining order preventing him from having any contact with Tracy Morris, save to effect reasonable contact with his children, as well as preventing him from entering the curtilage of her home.

Harrison was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £190.