A TEENAGER who faked a blaze so he could be rehoused was locked up for two years yesterday.

Soot-blackened John Halliday, 18, was rescued by firefighters after raising the alarm at a block of 12 flats. He was taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation.

He told police he had answered the door to two men who bundled him back inside, tied him to a chair, sprinkled turpentine through the rooms and then set it alight.

He said he managed to break free and dialled 999.

But a fire investigator disproved his claims, after examining soot stains and discovering fires had started in three locations, said Sue Jacobs, prosecuting.

Halliday confessed he was unhappy in the flat, in Stakesby House, Guisborough.

He said he had removed smoke alarms from the hallway and living room, locked the door and hid the keys before trying to simulate that he had been tied to the chair before the flat was set on fire.

He said he had no intention of endangering the lives of other people in the block.

He was shocked at how quickly the flat caught fire and he nearly passed out, Teesside Crown Court was told.

The fire caused £2,058 damage.

Peter Sabiston, mitigating, said it was a horrific offence, but Halliday was being tormented by others on the estate. He had been burgled and someone had urinated through his letterbox.

Halliday also told police that lighted material had been pushed through his door.

Days before the fire, he went to the police for help and they told him to keep a diary of events. Recently, one of his tormentors was dealt with by the courts.

Mr Sabiston told the court: "His circumstances have changed considerably since this incident. He has moved away from the area, he is in a stable relationship with a girlfriend and he is in employment."

Judge George Moorhouse said it was quite clear Halliday's life was being made "absolute hell" by the youths, resulting in a stupid act.

Halliday, of Pearl Street, Saltburn, was sent to a young offenders' institution for two years, after he pleaded guilty to arson, being reckless whether life was endangered, on December 6 last year.