THE FORMER boyfriend of tragic Anita Harris has been found guilty of starting the fire in which she died.

A jury found James Larkin, 33, guilty of both the manslaughter of Miss Harris, 39, and of arson reckless as to whether life was endangered, following a seven day trial at Bristol Crown Court.

Larkin stared intently at the jury of five men and seven women as the foreman read out the verdict and then erupted in anger, kicking the dock and shouting ‘How could you do this to my family?’.

Members of his family, who had been sitting in court, also shouted obscenities at the jury and stormed out of the courtroom.

Judge Neil Ford said Larkin would be sentenced after psychiatric reports on him had been put together.

Throughout the trial the jury had heard how Larkin and Miss Harris had both been alcoholics who regularly went drinking in Faringdon Road Park in Swindon.

They had been in a relationship since about April 2009 but Miss Harris had complained to various people that it was not going well and she wanted to leave him.

He on the other hand had intended to ask her to marry him. On two previous occasions Larkin had self-harmed in front of her – once by taking pills and once by cutting himself when she threatened to leave him.

Prosecuting, Ian Lawrie said this was typical of Larkin’s ‘attention seeking’ behaviour and was similar to the events of September 22 last year.

Larkin, Miss Harris and her best friend Julie Roberts, 43, of Fairford, had been drinking in town that day and returned to his flat in Frampton Close, Eastleaze.

Larkin and Miss Roberts did not get on, the jury was told, because they were both jealous of the other’s closeness to Miss Harris.

There was an argument and Miss Harris started playing music at an unsociable level, causing Larkin to go downstairs and turn the electricity to the flat off at the mains.

He became so enraged that he punched the glass out in the front door cutting his hand which needed treatment from a paramedic. But the argument continued and Larkin told Miss Harris and Miss Roberts to leave.

However as soon as Miss Harris began packing his mood changed and he begged her not to leave. She refused and so he set fire to some underwear that was hanging on a storage heater in an effort to grab her attention. When that did not work he then sat on his bed, wrapped the duvet around him, and set light to it.

The chilling recording of the 999 call Miss Roberts made on that night was played to the jury. In it she can be heard explaining that Larkin has set fire to the clothes on the storage heater because he wants to burn himself. She sounds mildly irritated at his behaviour but then, suddenly, her voice changes.

She screams: “Get out, get out of here now. Oh my God. He’s sat on the bed with the fire in front of him and he’s set himself on fire.”

She can be heard telling Miss Harris not to go back into the flat, but shortly before the emergency services arrive Miss Harris runs back in, possibly to save Larkin.

He made it out of the flat by himself, but she was overcome by the smoke and toxic fumes and her body was found lying near the bed by firefighters.

When Larkin is sentenced he faces a maximum of life imprisonment and Judge Ford warned that his “dangerousness” would need to be taken into account.

Following the verdict, Detective Inspector Matt Davey of Wiltshire Police, said: “The actions of James Larkin on September 22 2009 were directly responsible for the death of Anita Harris and additionally threatened the lives of neighbours and the lives of the emergency service personnel who responded to this incident.

“Our enquiries have shown that James Larkin lived his life with drug and alcohol dependency and this contributed to the events on that day but cannot justify what he did.

“At this time our thoughts and condolences go out to Anita’s family and friends. Wiltshire Police will continue to support her family through these difficult times.

“I would like to thank our partners, particularly Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service, the forensic scientists and the relevant healthcare professionals who assisted in ensuring that all available evidence relating to both Anita Harris and James Larkin was presented to the court.

“I would also like to thank the investigation team for their commitment and the thoroughness of the investigation.

“The serious nature and tragic consequences of James Larkin’s actions have been heard by the court and resulted in the jury’s verdict.

“This I hope will bring some comfort to Anita’s family and will provide reassurance to our local community that Wiltshire Police are committed to dealing robustly with violent offenders and ensuring that Wiltshire remains a safe place to live.”