counts of arson and stalking.

Chet Wilmot, 35, of Farm Lane, Warwick, appeared in Magistrates' Court yesterday afternoon charged with setting fire to a scooter and apartment on East Avenue, Southampton in the early hours of last Thursday.

The fire quickly spread to an apartment building which was also damaged by the blaze. A female occupant managed to get out and raise the alarm without being injured.

Wilmot, who was not represented in court, is also charged with stalking Donna Smith between February 1 and March 5.

And he is accused of damaging a water pipe and window of the same house at an earlier date and damaging the wing mirrors of a private car.

Prosecutor Lesley Basden told Magistrate Will Francis that bail should not be granted.

"The Crown opposes bail due to the gravity of the offences,'' she said.

Wilmot was remanded in custody for two weeks until March 23.