A mother of two lit a fire at her council home which claimed the life of her toddler son then calmly went to bed to wait for it to take hold, Leeds Crown Court was told yesterday.
It is alleged Ms Amanda McKenna (21), and her partner, Mr Michael Cunningham (27), planned to wait for five minutes to allow the fire to take hold before raising the alarm. But the pair had to jump to safety when the blaze swept through their home, leaving their two sons burning in their cots.
The court heard that 20 month old Jimmy Cunningham suffered appalling burns and died, 10 days later in hospital.
HIS eight month old brother, Billy, was scarred for life with possible brain damage.
The court heard that Mr Cunningham leaped from Jimmy's bedroom window as his son was a blaze in his cot. Ms McKenna was unable to get to Billy and jumped from her own bedroom window.
The jury was played a taped confession Ms McKenna allegedly made to police nine days after the fire.
On the tape, she first denied starting the fire, but later admitted the arson attack and writing a stream of hate mail letters to cover their tracks
Ms McKenna allegedly told the police "I sprayed some turps over the inside of the front door and the carpet below. I lit it at the bottom with a lighter and watched it catch fire.
"It sounded like a volcano erupting. I started to watch the fire and went upstairs to tell Michael what I had done.
"We waited in bed for five minutes for the fire to take hold Then Michael went out to the landing. He went to get Jimmy and I tried to get Billy, but when I opened our bedroom door I was blown back by thick smoke and flames . . . I never intended it to, get out of control."
Ms McKenna initially told police they were the victims of a vendetta, but later confessed to writing the letters, the court heard. She told the police she invented the vendetta because she, wanted to return to Ireland.
Mr Cunningham and Ms McKenna deny manslaughter, inflicting grievous bodily harm and four charges of arson.
The trial continues.