A MAN tried to frame his partner for arson after a row – but was so 'inept' that police felt no need to question her.

Robert Helm, 47, later admitted starting a fire at the rear of terraced houses where he lived in Middlewich, causing more than £30,000 of damage to a garage and stables.

At Chester Crown Court today, Friday, Judge Eric Lamb jailed him for three years and praised the skill of firefighters who contained the blaze in Cledford Lane on October 23, 2017.

The court heard that Helm and his partner had been arguing and he later flagged down a police car and told officers he was concerned for her as she had a history of arson.

The officers then checked the rear of the property and saw a fire had already taken hold.

At least three fire crews were called to the scene and spent around three hours tackling the blaze.

Stables at the rear of the terrace were completely destroyed causing £2,970 of damage, while a garage belonging to another resident suffered damage worth £27,500.

The owners of both buildings were said to have encountered 'substantial financial problems' as a result.

Recorder Lamb told Helm that the fire could have spread to occupied homes and he would then have been responsible for any injuries caused.

“Happily, the fire services acted with their customary skill and were able to contain the blaze,” the judge said.

He said the incident had been 'prompted by spite' in relation to an argument between the defendant and his partner.

“Although you tried to incriminate her, in fact you were so inept she was never questioned,” Recorder Lamb told Helm.

It emerged that the defendant – who admitted one count of arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered - has previous convictions for arson, although the most recent was in 1994.

A pre-sentence report stated that he was 'impulsive and antisocial' with a 'complete lack of consequential thinking', the court heard.

The judge said he accepted that Helm was vulnerable and had 'personal difficulties'.

He also took into account the fact that the fire was started outside, not inside, and that Helm knew two of the properties in the street were empty.