A woman has died after she lit 17 candles for a romantic evening with her imaginary boyfriend – and accidentally set her flat on fire.

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Jane Ellis, 46, believed she was in a relationship with a guy named ‘Ian’ and thought she would light candles to ‘summon’ him.

Her neighbours rushed round to tell her the building was on fire but Jane slammed the door in their faces.

She was later found lying face-down in her bathroom and was airlifted to hospital in an induced coma, but it was too late.

Her brother-in-law Andrew (not from Ian’s side of the family, remember – he’s imaginary) says:

In my opinion this was an entirely preventable incident had Jane been put in a safe place and adequately monitored until she became well.

We were pleading to speak to the assessor to give further information about her and we were refused point blank from doing so.

If the candles were being used to contact an imaginary boyfriend you can at least appreciate that there is some risk there.

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Just an awful story and a brutal legacy for this woman to leave behind. Why did the police/hospital/neighbours/brother-in-law have to mention the part about her imaginary boyfriend? So embarrassing. I would like to think if I died in similar circumstances my friends and neighbours would just say I didn’t pay the electric and had to light some candles. Not humiliate me with stories about an imaginary boyfriend when I’m dead and can’t even defend myself.

The worst part is that ‘Ian’ is probably out there shagging other women already, just like Cecil the Lion’s bird. Cruel world we live in.