Timothy Charles Sharp, 55, took over the running of The Old Swan at Gargrave, near Skipton, in 2017 after meeting partner Lindsey Williamson, an experienced licensee..

Although the business inititally prospered, Mr Sharp had suffered depression over a long period of time dating back to when he was injured and a colleague was killed when a wall collapsed on them, and his mental health deteriorated when he stopped taking his medication.

Bradford Crown Court was told at his sentencing today that Mr Sharp became 'erratic and argumentative' and that he spent less time running the pub, but would swear in front of customers when he was in the bar or dining area.

In 2020, The Old Swan was forced to close during the Covid lockdown and although the couple ran a takeaway service, their relationship deteriorated and they separated. There were several police call-outs to domestic disputes, and on one occasion Ms Williamson was arrested before she agreed to move out of the staff flat they shared on June 24. Mr Sharp had accused her of having an affair with a local man and claimed she planned to leave him..

Although they at first planned to keep running the pub together, on July 4 Mr Sharp cut his wrists with a Stanley knife after an argument and the next day they parted 'acrimoniously'.

On the morning of July 7, he returned to Gargrave after a short break in the Lake District and asked Ms Williamson to collect her belongings from the pub alone. In phone calls he was 'angry and shouting' and accused her of ruining his life.

He then published a Facebook post which read: "To all the gossipers and gob******, and there are many of you, the truth will be told. I have all the proof. Stay tuned - we go live on Facebook tonight. You don't want to miss this."

A further phone call was made in which he told Ms Williamson that she could never enter The Old Swan again and that if he could not have the pub 'nobody would have it.'

He then told the live-in chef to leave without collecting his possessions, locked the doors and ignited 12 separate fires on the ground floor before climbing to the roof with a Stanley knife.

Ms Williamson, her son Christopher Townsend and a friend attended the scene and the two men went up to the roof to persuade Mr Sharp to come down, but he refused.

By the time fire crews arrived just before 6pm, Mr Sharp had cut his wrists and neck and was 'prone' on the roof and covered in blood. Five firefighters managed to rescue him and remained on the roof after their supervisor had blown an emergency whistle to warn them to leave.

Mr Sharp was taken to Leeds General Infirmary, where he was sectioned under the Mental Health Act, and he remained in a mental health treatment facility voluntarily until he was discharged on September 1 and interviewed by police for the first time.

He told officers that he 'couldn't run the pub without Ms Williamson', that he had only asked her to come to the pub to return his dog, and that he was not trying to orchestrate her being inside at the time of the fire.

The fire caused £1.4million worth of damage to the 18th-century inn, Gargrave's oldest building, which is owned by EI Group.

Mr Sharp pleaded guilty to arson with recklessness as to whether life was endangered, but later failed to attend a magistrates court appearance and a warrant was issued for his arrest in the Isle of Man, where he had returned to live near his daughters.

His defence solicitor said his client had 'no intent to harm others' and that he was suffering a serious mental health episode at the time. The fire caused significant damage to his lungs and he suffers repeated infections and will be on antibiotics for the rest of his life. He added that Mr Sharp was 'extremely remorseful and ashamed' and that the incident was 'out of character'. Mr Sharp is now 'compliant' with all psychiatric treatment and referrals.

Sentencing him to 40 months in prison, Judge Jonathan Rose said: "It is evident that you have a long history of mental illness. Your depression was pervading and extensive. You were not an asset to the business and your presence was disadvantageous and added to the pressure of running it. Your relationship was over and that is no justification or mitigation for your offending.

"It is clear that you must bear some responsibility. Despite support and medication, you made the unwise decision to stop taking your antidepressants. This was a recipe for disaster and you chose that route. You were highly vulnerable and a risk to the public

"The post on Facebook suggest the plans you had made for that evening were momentous. You indicated you were planning something significant. One plan involved suicide, but the other intended to destroy a valuable property that was the home and the business of others. It is a tragedy that you had reached that point, but it is not necessary to associate that with what you went on to do to that building. You took a risk with the lives of others, and those firemen went above and beyond what could be expected of them to save your life.

"The damage was substanstial and the chef lost everything. I cannot ignore the risk to lives and this was a determined attempt to burn the pub down, so I cannot suspend your sentence."

If you are suffering from poor mental health, contact the Samaritans free on 116 123 to speak to a trained volunteer in confidence.

The Old Swan at Gargrave: Former landlord Tim Sharp jailed for setting fire to his own pub after accusing partner of affair