A MAN who climbed into his ex-partner’s home late at night, harassed and threatened her and later set fire to her terrace house.

David Hughes had been unable to accept the breakdown of the relationship, Preston Crown Court heard.

This culminated in him banging on her door in the early hours and when the glass broke, he set fire to curtains.

The court heard that his former partner, Charlie-Anne Louise Watson, and her children were staying with friends that night in August last year.

The fire was started at her home in Cleaver Street, Burnley.

Hours before that, he had been to the christening of their two children where everything had started off fine but later became confrontational.

Hughes, 25, of Lydgate, Burnley, was sentenced to four years and three months in prison.

He had pleaded guilty to offences of burglary, harassment and arson and being reckless whether life would be endangered.

Judge Simon Newell told him: “What you did was highly dangerous and very stupid.”

Defence barrister Paul Lawton said Hughes was genuinely sorry for what happened, he said he had sought solace over the break-up in alcohol which had changed his personality, but he now wanted to move on with his life.

Tony Longworth, prosecuting, said the two had been in a relationship, but split up in April last year.

At three o'clock one morning in June she was woken by Hughes shining the light of a mobile phone over her in bed.

He went on to snatch her phone, preventing her from dialling 999.

"The defendant went on to become verbally abusive, threatening that someone would go into her house, pour petrol over her and set it alight," said Mr Longworth.

After that he was arrested and bailed with conditions.

On August 1, the couple’s two younger children were christened and afterwards there was a celebration at a pub.

His behaviour became aggressive and when someone told him to go home, sober up and speak to her the next day, he replied: "She won't be here tomorrow.”

On the spur-of-the-moment, Miss Watson and her children stayed overnight at a friend's house. Hughes struck that night.

Defence barrister Paul Lawton said Hughes was genuinely sorry for what happened and wanted to move on with his life.

"Over a period of seven weeks last summer he found it impossible to come to terms with the breakdown of the relationship. He sought solace in increasing amounts of alcohol which changed his personality,” Mr Lawton said.