A policewoman broke into a burning flat by squeezing through a tiny door panel to rescue a woman.
PC Lynn Cameron was followed by colleague, PC Craig MacFarlane, who had managed to further force open the front door of the ground floor property.
They then braved smoke and flames to drag 49-year-old Fiona Hardie out of her home and took her to hospital on March 23.
Inverness woman who ‘recklessly’ set fire to her home claims it was an accident
Inverness Sheriff Court heard yesterday that the officers had been called by Miss Hardie to her home in Oldtown Road.
But when the police arrived, her door was locked and she didn’t acknowledge their warnings that her living room was on fire.
Yesterday, Hardie was jailed for 18 months after earlier admitting culpable and reckless conduct.
As she was led away by security staff, Hardie screamed at Sheriff Gordon Fleetwood: “Everyone knows it was an accident. You are a joke Fleetwood.”
Fiscal depute Roderick Urquhart told the court that the constables had gone to carry out a welfare check on Hardie after her earlier call because she was feeling suicidal.
He told the court: “On arrival they found the front door to be locked and secured, but through its window they could see an orange glow and hear a fire alarm sounding.
“Realising that a fire had started in the property they made their way to the front living room window. There they could see smoke and flames coming from within the house and Hardie sitting on the couch, making no attempt to leave.
“They summoned the fire brigade and after PC MacFarlane had kicked in a door panel, Constable Cameron removed her body armour and utility belt and managed to squeeze through the small gap and into the living room.
“Flames and thick smoke were coming from near to the window and the constables dragged her from the living room.”
Mr Urquhart added that firefighters attended and extinguished the blaze.
He said their conclusion was a curtain had caught fire and burning pieces of it had fallen to the floor, igniting the carpet, the surface of the wooden floor board and skirting board below.
There was evidence that there had been at least one candle on the windowsill, he went on.
Defending, Aileen Macinnes said her client was “a lonely and vulnerable person”.
She added that she was a “Jekyll and Hyde character” and completely different being polite and helpful when sober.
Sheriff Fleetwood backdated Hardie’s sentence to March 26 when she was remanded in custody.
