she saw Nawaz in the street taunting her.
Waseem Nawaz, aged 34, of Keighley, Bradford, was jailed for nine-and-a-half years after setting fire to a woman’s flat.
Bradford Crown Court heard he blocked the exit with a blazing wheeled bin and taunted the victim, smiling and making abusive gestures.
The incident happened in the early hours of December 1, 2019.
The woman, who had several health problems, was a friend of Nawaz and had allowed him to stay at her flat for a couple of days.
However, by December 1, he was drinking excessively and taking drugs and she told him to leave.
Nawaz was intoxicated and argumentative. Forty-five minutes after he left, she heard a loud bang and the fire alarm went off.
Nawaz had pushed a wheeled bin against the flat door and set it alight.
The flames spread to the front door and the guttering, sending thick smoke into the building.
The victim, who was at home with her carer, struggled to breathe and it was made worse by her illnesses.
When she opened a window, she saw Nawaz in the street taunting her. He shouted “burn b****”, smiled and made abusive gestures.
Firefighters put out the blaze but the fire had spread to the unoccupied flat below, making both uninhabitable.
Shortly afterwards, Nawaz was arrested from the attic of his home. He made no comment to the police and denied the offence, only pleading guilty part-way through his trial.
Prosecutor Camille Morland explained that the victim lost everything in the blaze. Her dog was left blinded and suffered burned paws in the arson and has since died.
Miss Morland added that the woman was on medication for anxiety and was living on a friend’s sofa.
The woman’s neighbour also had to move out and he had lost almost all his possessions. It is estimated that £15,000 worth of damage was caused.
Nawaz pleaded guilty to arson with intent to endanger life.
Nawaz had 23 previous convictions for 39 offences, including supplying Class A drugs, assault, battery, criminal damage and being drunk and disorderly.
His barrister, Giles Bridge, admitted that Nawaz was under the influence of alcohol and drugs at the time but he was now on a drug-free wing at Leeds Prison.
There was no evidence that he had a fascination with fire and this was his first offence of serious violence.
Judge Andrew Hatton said the arson was a revenge attack.
His victim had lost her dog after it was left badly injured by the arson. She would never get over the shock and terror of that night.
Nawaz was jailed for eight-and-a-half years. He also received an additional 12 months to run consecutively for an assault occasioning actual bodily harm on July 30, 2017.
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