A 45-year-old man who has no fixed address was this afternoon remanded in custody after he pleaded not guilty to setting a house on fire between Wednesday and Thursday night.

The man was also accused of being in possession of a firearm without the necessary licence, using the weapon and injuring a police sergeant.

He was also charged with being in possession of heroin.

The officer was shot and injured as he tried to confront the man, who was locked in a room.

He allegedly warned the officers that he had turned on the gas and would set off a fire prompting the police to leave the house before a fire did in fact break out.

As soon as it was extinguished, the police moved back in. They broke into the room where the man was locked, whereupon the man opened fire.

The police used a taser gun to restrain him. As the officer struggled with him to get hold of his gun, the man fired again, hitting himself and then the sergeant's leg.

The man was taken to hospital, where he was found to be seriously injured. The sergeant was slightly injured.

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