Caz Telfer, 41, was attention-seeking and started the fire in the hope she would be hailed as a heroine in the rescue attempt, Manchester Crown Court heard.

Ms Telfer, of Shawbrook Road, Burnage, Manchester, denies two counts of murder, attempted murder and two counts of arson.

Tommy West, 45, and his seven-year-old daughter Kimberley, were killed in the blaze in Princess Road, Moss Side, in the early hours of New Year's Eve 2001.

A nine-year-old boy was also in the house but escaped the fire.

All the evidence points to those fires being started by her

Prosecutor Anthony Morris QC

The court heard that Ms Telfer - a friend of Mr West's father, who was in hospital - had gone to sleep on the sofa in the house earlier in the evening.

The court heard the boy had later seen Ms Telfer setting fire to the living room curtains.

That fire was put out, but a second fatal fire was started deliberately in the same room one-and-a-half hours later, the jury was told.

Ms Telfer then fled the house, prosecution said.

Ms Telfer was suffering from depression and fuelled on alcohol and anti-depressants, Anthony Morris QC told the jury.

Caz Telfer denies starting the fatal house fire

He said that in some ways Ms Telfer deserved sympathy for her mental state.

But he added: "On another level... she's manipulative, controlling and attention-seeking and as a result is an extremely dangerous person.

Her motive, he said, was "the desire to attract attention to herself, to make herself the centre of attention and appear to be the heroine, trying to save the people trapped in the house.

"All the evidence points to those fires being started by her."

The trial continues.