A heroin addict who set fire to the home where he and his family lived has been jailed.

Mohammed Asif, aged 52, of Spearing Road in High Wycombe, was sentenced to 21 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to arson and drug offences.

The court heard how on January 24, Asif, who had a history of heroin addiction, was in his family’s home, which was occupied by his wife, daughter and sons.

On the day of the incident, Asif was said to be acting “aggressively” towards his son, who he had accused of taking his money.

Following the confrontation, Asif went up to his bedroom, while the rest of the family remained in the living room.

The court heard how some time later, the family noticed a burning smell in the house. Rushing up to the bedroom, they found a small fire had been set in the bottom of a wardrobe, made out of a pile of clothes.

Asif was still in the room and appeared to be asleep on the bed.

The family were able to quickly put out the fire before it spread anywhere else using water and towels, and then called 999, prompting both police and firefighters to attend.

Later on, police found a wrap of crack cocaine and a wrap of heroin in Asif’s wallet.

The prosecution also revealed that Asif had a history of past offences including burglaries, frauds, and multiple drug possession convictions. He had also made previous threats to set fire to property.

Despite Asif’s history of offences, his daughter Hinnah Asif, who owns the semi-detached house he set fire to, wrote to the court saying she believed her father could be rehabilitated and hoped he could eventually return to a normal family life free of offending.

Her letter was summarised by Asif’s defence barrister, who said: “Her father supported the children when they were growing up, he’s made regular financial contributions.

“He wants to be free of drugs, he wants to be a loving father to his family that he has been in the past and his family believe he can be in the future.”

Ms Asif also pointed out that the damage her father caused only cost £10 to fix - the price of replacing a single floorboard.

Sentencing, judge Thomas Rochford said: “You put at risk yourself and the lives of the five other members of your family and possibly those living next door.

“By good fortune, your family members that you put at risk smelled the fire and came in and put it out before it could take hold.

“You were not intending to endanger life. You were reckless, but there was a risk of serious harm given the number of people in the house.”

Asif was given 20 months for the arson offence, and a further one-month sentence for two counts of possession of a class A drug.

The four months he has spent in prison since he was arrested will count towards his sentence.