A SELF-STYLED "firestarter" who killed a well-known nutritionist and writer by setting her family's house alight has been jailed for life.

Geoffrey MacDougal, 25, described as a "pathological arsonist," chose the house where Miriam Polunin was staying in Tytherington, Macclesfield as a random target, because it could be accessed through a gap in the hedge.

Ms Polunin, 59, who wrote books on food and health, died after inhaling smoke in the fire on March 19, 2005.

The other occupants, her mother Sara Doggart, 91, and her mother's carer managed to escape the blaze.

Sentencing MacDougal, who admitted manslaughter, to life in prison with a minimum recommendation of serving six years, the Recorder of Chester, Judge Elgan Edwards, told him: "You are a dangerous young man.

Danger

"I take the view there is in this case a significant risk to the public and there are good grounds for believing you would remain a serious danger.

"I must impose a life sentence to protect the public.

"As a result of your actions a talented author's life has been cut short."

During the police investigation into the fire an officer discovered that supermarket worker MacDougal had four years earlier set up picture files on his computer entitled "Firestarter" and "Firestarter Two".

These featured a wooden bridge in a park in Macclesfield, being set alight and the titles referred to the song by the rock band Prodigy, Chester Crown Court heard.

Started

MacDougal started the fire at the two-storey detached house at about 4am by assembling materials in the lean-to which adjoined the kitchen and was used to store logs.

Carer Pauline Simcock raised the alarm inside the premises, calling the fire brigade before battling her way on to the smoke-logged landing.

She called out to Miriam Polunin, who had travelled up from London to stay for the weekend, and then went into Sara Doggart's bedroom, throwing a duvet out of the window in case they should need to jump down.

The fire brigade arrived before this was necessary and Sara and her carer were rescued.

Miriam was later found unconscious on the floor of her bedroom and was taken to hospital.

Boasted

She never recovered, dying the following day.

Following the fire, MacDougal boasted to friends that he had put some logs against the door of the house and set fire to them using lighter fuel.

He told them that he had started the blaze for a laugh, and found it "good fun".

Dr Ronald Chesterman, a forensic psychiatrist, told the court he believed this was a case of pathological arson, where MacDougal was suffering from no obvious external motivation, but could have underlying psychological motivations, such as the desire to impress or invoke a response in others.

He also said that possible future risk from MacDougal was "significant".

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