Jon WelchA Norwich woman badly burnt in a bedsit fire has launched a �2m compensation claim against her former landlord in the High Court.Layla Skalli, 20, suffered 80 per cent burns to her body, and remains wracked by chronic pain, following the blaze at her single room in Magdalen Street, Norwich, in April last year.Jon Welch

A Norwich woman badly burnt in a bedsit fire has launched a �2m compensation claim against her former landlord in the High Court.

Layla Skalli, 20, suffered 80 per cent burns to her body, and remains wracked by chronic pain, following the blaze at her single room in Magdalen Street, Norwich, in April last year.

After firefighters rescued her from the blaze, medics said her chances of survival were negligible, although she subsequently confounded their expectations with a remarkable recovery.

As well as the burns, she had near-lethal carbon monoxide levels and organ failure. In a nine-hour operation, the first of its kind in the UK, surgeons removed all of her burnt skin and then grew her a new 'suit' of skin from cells taken from Miss Skalli and from donors.

Her ex-landlord, Michael Billings - said to own about 600 properties nationwide - was prosecuted and, on May 5 this year, received a sentence of two-and-a-half years after admitting breaches of health and safety regulations.

In an unusual move, Judge Paul Downes later 'varied' that term to 21 months after Billings, 55, of Barsham, near Beccles, Suffolk, offered to pay Ms Skalli �20,000 'by way of part compensation'.

Ms Skalli, however, has now launched a �2m lawsuit against Billings seeking compensation for the devastating toll taken by the fire.

Her case reached the High Court yesterday in a pre-trial hearing at which her lawyers asked Judge Thornton to continue an order 'freezing' �2million of Billings' assets which Ms Skalli says should be earmarked for her compensation.

Billings is disputing both liability and the amount of compensation sought by his one-time tenant.

However, Ms Skalli's lawyers say her injuries and their effects should result in a �1.6m damages payout, plus in-terest of �400,000.

'So she wishes to obtain the court's protection from the defendant dissipating assets worth up to �2m', said Judge Thornton.

The judge extended the asset freezing order and the case is now expected to return to court within six weeks for a case management review. No date has yet been fixed for the full hearing of Ms Skalli's damages claim.