A 21-year-old arsonist who started fires at houses and then told fleeing residents that he had called 999 has been jailed indefinitely.
Paul Hambleton started nine fires in two months and was arrested after setting a bin alight at the side of a house in Denton, Greater Manchester.
A couple and their six-year-old child were inside but were uninjured, Minshull Street Crown Court heard.
Hambleton pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to nine counts of arson.
Police discovered he had been responsible for a further eight fires following the blaze in Town Lane in the early hours of 15 December last year.
Gift of beer
On a number of occasions, Hambleton stayed near the scene of the fires he had started and sometimes told the householders he had called the emergency services.
One resident even bought Hambleton a crate of beer to thank him.
Hambleton, of Kennedy Way, Denton, admitted nine counts of arson, being reckless as to whether life was endangered.
He was sentenced to an indeterminate term of imprisonment for public protection and ordered to serve a minimum of two years before being eligible for parole.
Det Con Darren Byrne, of Ashton-under-Lyne CID, said: "What Hambleton did was not only stupid but also dangerous.
"His disregard for people's safety has had an effect on many people in his local area.
"He caused a lot of damage, put them at risk and it is fortunate nobody was injured," he added.
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