A WOMAN was spared a prison sentence yesterday for setting fire to her own home in Stevenage.
Kate Buggins, 46, who pleaded guilty to arson at her former three-bedroom house in Canterbury Way, was told she must serve a community order with 18 months supervision by mental health experts by a judge at Cambridge Crown Court.
The fire, which started at around 10am on April 22 last year, badly damaged the end of terrace house and forced the evacuation of neighbours. No-one was in the house when fire crews arrived.
Herts Fire Service investigators said the fire was deliberately started when paper was lit in the lounge area of the house.
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