Woman jailed for baby blaze death

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A 23-year-old who started a house fire which claimed the lives of her former lover and a baby girl has been jailed for a minimum of five-and-a-half years.

Marie Sharp, from Leeds, lit a rag and stuffed it through the letterbox of a house in Seacroft, Leeds, in December.

The blaze killed 15-month-old Kyra Moran and Sharp's former lover Gavin Battensby, 27, who tried to rescue the toddler, Leeds Crown Court heard.

She was given an indeterminate sentence and must serve five-and-a-half years.

The court was told Sharp, who had earlier admitted two counts of manslaughter, had a seven-year on-off relationship with Mr Battensby but she became jealous when he began a relationship with Kyra's mother Sherree Palmer, 19.

She was "infatuated and obsessed" by Mr Battensby, but had been left emotionally damaged by their relationship, the court was told.

On 12 December, Sharp, of Tarnside Drive, Leeds, spent the night drinking wine and vodka with friends.

These crimes were committed due to your corrosive jealousy and obsessive resentment Mr Justice Simon

The court was told she became aggressive and was overheard making violent threats about her former lover and his new partner, claiming "they had it coming".

She returned to Mr Battensby's home in the early hours of 13 December and "on the spur of the moment" lit a discarded rag with her cigarette lighter and put it through the letterbox.

Miss Palmer escaped the blaze after she fell from a window but her baby daughter and boyfriend were killed.

The court heard Mr Battensby tried to save the toddler and managed to reach her cot and place her on a bed before he was overcome by the fire.

The baby's mother survived the fire

In mitigation, barrister Simon Bickler said Sharp was full of genuine "remorse, sorrow and condolence" for both families and would have to live with the consequences of her actions for the rest of her life.

Mr Justice Simon said he was imposing an indeterminate sentence for the public's protection as Sharp posed a "significant risk" of causing death or serious injury to other people.

He said: "These crimes were committed due to your corrosive jealousy and obsessive resentment.

"The consequences of your malice has been the deaths of two people, one of them a baby, and shattering the lives of those families."

Outside court Mr Battensby's mother Dorothy said she welcomed the sentence but that Sharp would still have a life when she was released.

"She will still have a life and a family to go to," she said.

"Gavin has no life or family to go to."