A HATHERLEIGH man has been jailed for setting light to his ex-lover's car and threatening to burn down her home.

Exeter Crown Court last week heard that Benjamin Darbyshire developed a grudge against victim Rebecca French, even though they had only had a brief relationship and she was now with another man.

He told her new partner of his fling and when she took exception to this, he threatened to burn her house down and went to confront her new partner on the doorstep of her home in Hatherleigh.

Darbyshire, who has a record for violence including two hammer attacks, was banned from the town as a condition of his bail, but flouted the order, returning to carry out the arson attack.

The court was told Miss French heard noise from outside her home in Moor View and looked out to see her car was in flames after Darbyshire brought petrol to the scene and set it alight.

Darbyshire, aged 27, of Market Street, Hatherleigh, admitted arson, threatening behaviour and making threats to damage Miss French's home.

He was jailed for three years by Judge Francis Gilbert, QC, who told him: 'You threatened to burn down this lady's house with people inside. She must have found it very frightening.

'You went back to the address and set light to her car outside the house where she was living with her two children and her boyfriend.

'You did that in breach of an order not to enter Hatherleigh and you brought petrol with you. I am told this all stems from a relationship with Miss French which you told her boyfriend about. Understandable she was not frightfully pleased about that.

'To set fire to her car like that was an extremely serious thing to do and the whole case is aggravated by your previous convictions.'

Lee Bremridge, prosecuting, said the first incidents happened last July when Darbyshire got into an argument with Miss French in a pub and threatened to burn down her home and smash her windows.

He later confronted her new partner Simon Cann at the house and threatened him. At the time it was thought he may have had a knife with him but this turned out not to be the case.

Darbyshire was supposed to be staying out of Hatherleigh as a condition of bail but returned on January 9 and burned out Miss French's car, which was written off.

Miss Mary McCarthy, defending, said it was not a simple case of a jilted boyfriend harassing their former partner. She said in this case Miss French had approached Darbyshire because she was upset about him telling Mr Cann about their past relationship.

She said the threats were made in the context of a small community where everyone knew each other and there had never been any intention to carry out an attack on the home where she lived with her two children.