A woman died after setting herself on fire because she did not want to bring shame on her family when her arranged marriage broke down, an inquest heard.

Harsimrat Kaur Bains, who moved from India to live with husband Dalvinder in Northdene Road, in West Knighton, Leicester, set fire to herself in the couple's bedroom on April 21, 2008.

While alight, the 24-year-old ran to a family member's house in the street in an apparent attempt to collect a pre-written suicide note explaining her actions.

She was found by Mark Drinkwater, an off-duty fireman carrying out building work at the property.

Mrs Bains died a month later, on May 24, of multi-organ failure caused by her injuries.

An extract from the two-page suicide note was read out at the inquest into her death yesterday. It read: "Sister please, to save my mother's respect I am committing suicide."

The inquest, at Leicester Town Hall, heard that the relationship between Mrs Bains and her husband had become strained shortly after they married in 2007.

Mrs Bains's sister, Paramjit Kaur, of Birmingham, told the inquest through an interpreter that her sister had complained to her on many occasions that she had been the victim of domestic abuse at the hands of her husband – a claim he said was not true – but had been determined to make the relationship work. Mrs Kaur said: "She felt she would be letting down her family and causing them shame if she did not try."

Mr Drinkwater told the inquest he had come out of the house to find neighbours "gesturing towards the side of the house".

"She was still smoldering and her clothing had burned off," he said.

"She was knelt down on her haunches and obviously very distressed and in a lot of pain."

Mr Drinkwater said he took Mrs Bains into the house until paramedics arrived. She then grabbed a black coat, in which the suicide note was found, to cover herself.

She was taken to Leicester Royal Infirmary before being transferred to the specialist burns unit at Selly Oak Hospital, in Birmingham, where she died.

Detective Constable Michelle Biggs confirmed it was unlikely anyone other than Mrs Bains would have poured the petrol.

A statement by Dr Preeti Wadhwa, from the Asquith Surgery, in Welford Road, in Knighton, was read out in which the doctor said Mrs Bains had admitted being physically abused by her husband.

Mr Bains told the inquest he agreed the relationship had become "strained" but denied the abuse. However, he said he had once pushed his wife after she kicked him. He had decided the relationship was over, and drove her to Birmingham to live with Mrs Kaur.

A couple of weeks later, on April 17, his wife returned to Leicester to see whether their relationship could be mended. But Mr Bains said he did not want to speak to her and gave her "the cold shoulder".

She set fire to herself four days later.

Summing up, coroner Donald Coutts-Wood said: "I have no doubts that the deceased did the act of setting fire to herself. "There were clearly issues between her and her husband, and between her family and her husband's family. I believe that she took her own life."