A woman accused of torching the door to her ex-boyfriend's house in true 'Diary of a Mad Black Woman' style, barely escaped a nine-month jail sentence when she appeared in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday.

Charged with arson is Claudia Hill.

The complainant told the court that he and the accused had been breaking up for the last five years. He, however, acknowledged that they had not completely severed all ties.

The accused, who pleaded guilty to the lesser offence of malicious destruction of property, told the court that on the day in question she went to the complainant's house where she was greeted by his present girlfriend.

She told the court that the girlfriend sprayed her in the face with Pyro, a popular insecticide. She also said she was soaked with water from a hose and was dragged around outside by the complainant.

Hill told the court that she went home and thought about what had transpired and decided to return for revenge. She said, "Mi just think bout it, and mi tek up di lighter and di oil and go back ova deh and light di door and jus walk weh."

The accused, in response to Resident Magistrate Judith Pusey's comments about the possible dangers of the fire, said she knew that the entire house would not have burnt. When RM Pusey revealed that she would be sending Hill to jail for nine months, the complainant told the court that he did not want the matter to go that far and that he only wanted her to pay for the door.

The sentence was then suspended for three years, prompting the accused to say, "I am not going to do it again your Honour, I'm going to behave myself."