A MAN who drunkenly started a late-night fire at his partner's home as her two children slept upstairs walked free from court yesterday.

Nils Jack Jolliffe, 28, suffered third-degree burns to his arms after he forgot about a chip pan he had put on the cooker after he returned home from a pub crawl.

The children, aged one and five, were found by their grandmother next morning covered in soot, and were taken to hospital.

Earlier in the evening, he had taken the children to the pub when he was unable to find a babysitter, and for part of the night on December 1, they were left at home alone.

The court heard that Jolliffe had been out celebrating the birth of twin girls by his partner, who was still in hospital.

Jolliffe, of Park Lane, Darlington, thought he had put out the fire as soon as it began, but the five-year-old woke him later that night to tell him the fire was still going.

He suffered serious burns, for which he required skin grafts, Darlington magistrates were told.

Jolliffe admitted two counts of child neglect, and magistrates described him as reckless, but said he had prevented serious injury to the children.

He was sentenced to a year-long community rehabilitation order and ordered to pay £40 in court costs.

David Maddison, prosecuting, said: "It would appear Mr Jolliffe and the children were inside that house with smoke present for eight hours or more.

"She (the grandmother) was concerned for the children, and Mr Jolliffe did not seem to understand what was happening.

"One child had black soot all over her body and hair, and the one-year-old was in her cot trying to stand up, also covered in soot.

"The first the mother knew of the incident was when the children were taken to hospital. Jolliffe told her he had been making himself some chips."

Graham Hunsley, in mitigation, said Jolliffe was distracted when he began making up a bottle for the baby.

He said: "In terms of physical injury, no one has come out of it worse than Mr Jolliffe."