Nurses give chase before returning arsonist to hospital after court case

Victoria Tunnicliffe was leaving the Law Courts with four nurses and was walking towards the Man on the Horse statue on the High Street.

The Daily Echo witnessed her run off into the High Street before being chased and grabbed by a nurse. She was then led away with a nurse clutching each arm to a car to return her to hospital.

Tunnicliffe, 31, of Lesser Horseshoe Close, Knowle, was at Winchester Crown Court for a sentencing hearing over more than a dozen charges of arson in Bishop's Waltham that she admitted at an earlier hearing.

The court heard that psychiatrists have still not completed assessing her mental state.

Judge Ian Pearson was told that Tunnicliffe had recently been transferred from the personality disorder wing to the mental illness ward.

The judge granted a further 28-day interim hospital order. He told her: "I would be hopeful that final reports will be available and we will be able to deal with you finally, but that is subject to the recommendations of the psychiatrists dealing with you."

Tunnicliffe is due to be sentenced at Winchester on April 23. She had previously pleaded guilty to a total of 15 counts of arson, nine of criminal damage, and one each of arson and criminal damage reckless as to whether life was endangered.