A MAN has denied murdering his grandmother, who died after being rescued from her blazing home.

Mary Woolley, 71, was pulled out alive as flames engulfed her terraced house.

She was taken to Arrowe Park hospital suffering from smoke inhalation, but died the following day.

Mrs Woolley’s grandson, Stephen Hampson, was arrested shortly after the blaze broke out at her house.

The 26-year-old, of Alverstone Avenue, Birkenhead, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court via video-link from Walton Prison yesterday and denied murder on April 9.

He also pleaded not guilty to arson with intent to endanger life on April 8 and a further charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm on the same day.

David Watson, defending Hampson, told the court his client accepted deliberately starting the blaze, but had not intended to kill or hurt his grandmother.

He added that Hampson was incapable of having intent at the time because of the “amount of alcohol he had consumed”.

The Recorder of Liverpool, Judge Henry Globe, QC, said a trial date had already been fixed for October 26, with a five-day estimate.