As flames licked the walls around them, a man tried to drag his ex from their burning house - but she allegedly resisted, grabbing hold of a doorframe in an attempt to stay in the blaze.
"No no no, I want to die. I want us to die," she allegedly
Insanity defence in case that alleges woman burnt her Taranaki home to the ground
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Fire and Emergency New Zealand were called to a house fire, allegedly started by the home owner, in Waitara, Taranaki, on July 21, 2021. Photo / NZME
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Once the pair were outside, she allegedly tried to run back into the burning Taranaki house, so he lay on top of her to pin her down.
The woman, who legally can't be named, allegedly retaliated by biting the man's stomach.
Today the woman appeared in the New Plymouth District Court after being charged with willfully setting fire to property or endangering life and injuring with the intent to injure.
On her behalf, defence lawyer Andrew Laurenson pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.
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The case will be heard at a judge-alone trial and Laurenson said the only issue to be defended was her state of mind at the time of the incident.
"The summary of facts is accepted," he said.
That summary outlines how the woman allegedly used the oven to ignite a piece of newspaper which she then took into her bedroom in the early hours of July 21, 2021.
Using the burning paper, she is alleged to have set her curtains alight and then climbed into bed and pulled the blankets over her head, she allegedly told police.
The fire at the Waitara property she purchased about 30 years previously was fully involved when firefighters arrived around 3.30am.
After owning the property for around 13 years, the woman entered into a relationship with the man and he moved in and invested money into the property.
When they later split up, they continued to live together but in separate bedrooms.
On the evening before the fire, the pair had dinner together and then the woman went to bed around 9pm.
The man watched television before he went to bed at midnight. At 3am, he was woken by an explosion and the sound of crackling fire.
He went to the hallway, where he was met by a wall of flames and smoke, before locating the woman.
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According to the police she was lying on the floor in the doorway to the bedroom, struggling to breathe.
The house was burnt beyond repair and both occupants lost the majority of their possessions in the fire.
The woman had allegedly suffered adverse mental health for some time and police claim she admitted to being upset on the evening before the fire.
She allegedly told officers she had been focused on ending her life and had not considered the risk to the man in starting the blaze.
Interim name suppression continues for the woman and a nominal date of July 8 was set down for her next court appearance.
WHERE TO GET HELP
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• Lifeline: 0800 543 354 (available 24/7)
• Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO) (available 24/7)
• Youth services: (06) 3555 906
• Youthline: 0800 376 633
• Kidsline: 0800 543 754 (available 24/7)
• Whatsup: 0800 942 8787 (1pm to 11pm)
• Depression helpline: 0800 111 757 (available 24/7)
• Rainbow Youth: (09) 376 4155
• Helpline: 1737
If it is an emergency and you feel like you or someone else is at risk, call 111
