A former police officer who plundered her girlfriend's bank accounts before torching their house has walked free from court.

Tracey Burt, 33, set fire to the cottage she shared with lover Jackie French in a bid to cover up a web of lies. Miss French was trapped in her bedroom and had to be rescued from a window ledge by her neighbour, a parttime fireman.

Burt set fire to the house after stories she told to cover up the fact she had stolen more than £23,000 from her girlfriend's bank accounts began to unravel. She initially denied arson and theft but later said she could not remember committing the offences, but accepted responsibility for what she had done.

At the time Burt did not know she was mentally ill and had not had treatment for her condition, Hove Crown Court was told.

Sentenced yesterday, she was given a three-year community order with a condition she has psychiatric treatment.

Burt, 33, of Bennett Drive, Hove, was a Sussex police officer from 1996 to 2000.

Walton Hornsby, prosecuting, said Burt was allowed to resign after telling lies to colleagues that members of her close family had died.

She joined the Diamond Enterprises private detective agency in Brighton in 2002 and later agreed to buy it from owner Jean Irving for £5,000.

Mr Hornsby said Burt again told lies that her brother Max, mother and sister had been killed to put off paying the money she owed Mrs Irving.

Burt and Miss French became partners in 2004 and rented Oaktree Cottage in Spithurst Road, Barcombe, near Lewes.

Mr Hornsby said: "The pattern of telling extravagant lies continued. She said that she had been in the Army and had been discharged after seeing horrific deaths.

"She said she had witnessed the death of a colleague while in the police force.

"In fact, she had never been in the Army at all and certainly had not witnessed the death of a colleague.

"She gained some sort of hold over Miss French and persuaded her it was dangerous for her to leave the house.

"Miss French revealed the details of her bank accounts and was defrauded out of some £23,500."

The couple were given notice to leave the cottage by January 3, 2005, but Burt set fire to it the day before they were due to move out.

On the morning of the blaze Burt got up and told Miss French she was taking their dogs for a walk and closed the bedroom door.

Mr Hornsby said: "Miss French heard their camper van driving away and then heard it come back again.

"About 15 minutes later she heard rummaging around downstairs and then heard a loud bang, shaking the house.

"She saw the dining room and the stairs outside her room engulfed in flames.

"She crawled out on to the window ledge and shouted out for help."

Her cries were heard by neighbour and part-time fireman Anthony Julyan who used a ladder to rescue her.

Investigators later found a can of petrol and evidence that petrol had been thrown through the dining room window and set on fire.

Burt was arrested but denied starting the blaze and claimed she had seen someone driving away in a blue car.

Silas Reid, defending, said Burt could not remember having started the fire or stealing from Jackie French or Jane Irving.

He added that having seen the evidence she now accepted she was guilty of arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered and theft.

He told the court that at the time Burt did not know she was suffering from schizophrenia and associative amnesia.

After her arrest she had admitted herself to hospital for psychiatric treatment for eight months and was still being treated as an outpatient.

Apology Mr Reid said sending her to prison would cause her condition to deteriorate and she was likely to be transferred to a psychiatric unit as soon as that happened.

Sentencing, Judge David Rennie said: "The experts recommend that you be given help as opposed to punishment in these particular circumstances."

He added that Burt would have been sent to prison for up to five years if she had not been shown to be genuinely ill.

Burt made a public apology to Miss French at an earlier hearing.

Miss French was not in court to see Burt sentenced yesterday but said she was disappointed with the outcome.

She said: "I expected she would be sent to prison for what she did.

"Instead she has been given a community order which will let her out on to the streets.

"It has taken two years for me to sort out the financial mess she left me in.

"I have had to sell my flat and I could not get a mortgage because I was left with a bad credit rating.

"It has left me very wary of people and it will be several years before I will be able to start a new relationship with anyone."