Father-of-three Steven Price told how he rescued a neighbour who had set his own house on fire.

Wearing only a dressing gown Mr Price leapt over a garden fence and into a smoke-filled kitchen to save Peter Dalton, an old school friend.

Heroic Mr Price recalled the drama this week, after Dalton, 33, of Glebe Avenue, Braintree, was sentenced to a two-year community rehabilitation order after admitting arson.

A court heard he set fire to the former council house after a domestic row. He and his partner had only purchased it the week before.

Mr Price recalled: "There had been a bit of a rumpus going on and then I heard him shouting for help.

"I clambered over the garden fence and looked through the back door. The kitchen was smoke-logged but I could just see his feet. He was lying in the hallway.

"I got in through the back door and put the flames out on the cooker. He had built up a pile of stuff on the cooker, which was on fire. I turned the electricity off and then poured water over it."

Dalton had collapsed and burnt his hand in the fire. Mr Price treated his burns and then sat with him and tried to calm him down until the fire brigade and police arrived.

Mr Price, 33, a ground worker, said: "I had known him from school but we were not particularly close friends."

At Chelmsford Crown Court Judge Christopher Ball QC said he accepted Dalton's actions were the result of a domestic argument which got out of hand.

He also took into account that Dalton had already served the equivalent of a 10-month prison sentence.

Craig Rush, prosecuting, said in August last year Dalton and his partner Kerry Begley had a row.

When Miss Begley decided to leave with the children Dalton shouted: "If you leave this house I'm going to burn it down with me in it."

Dalton piled children's clothing and toys on top of the cooker and turned the oven on. Damage to the property amounted to between £1,000 and £2,000.

Defence counsel Alexander Agbamu said Dalton had expressed genuine regret and shame at what he did.

The time he had spent on remand in custody had made him focus on his alcohol education and anger management. Dalton was now back with Miss Begley, who was in court to support him.

Published Tuesday February 1, 2005

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