A bungling arsonist has been jailed after setting fire to what he thought was his ex-girlfriend’s car having drunk 14 pints.

Terry Beadle was so drunk when he emptied a jerry can over the Vauxhall Corsa and set it alight that he admitted having “zero” memory of his wrongdoing.

The blaze outside Maria Halls's home in Rochester in May last year, completely destroyed the vehicle - and landed Beadle in prison for nine months.

The 39-year-old was seen by several witnesses, including Ms Halls's two sons, to be smoking, wearing a hood and carrying the can late at night near the car.

Prosecutor Alexia Zimbler told Maidstone Crown Court on Thursday (Feb16): "About 30 seconds later they heard a very loud bang and saw the vehicle was now burning."

A neighbour chased Beadle, asking what he had done.

Beadle replied he did not want to talk about it and walked off to his then-partner's home in a nearby street.

After his arrest, the warehouse manager told police he had drunk 12 to 14 pints after finishing a work shift at midday in Dartford.

Miss Zimbler said: "He had no recollection whatsoever of what he had done, simply remembering that he woke up at his partner's address at about 6am the next morning."

The court heard that his relationship with Ms Halls ended several years earlier. But four days before setting fire to the car, Beadle sent Ms Halls several 'highly offensive' emails after discovering via Facebook that she had a new partner.

Beadle, who has six previous convictions for drink-driving, admitted arson.

Representing himself, he told the court he did not wish either Ms Halls or her sons any harm.

The father-of-two described himself as a regular binge-drinker but said he had not touched a drop of alcohol since Christmas.

"It was causing me so many problems, or rather I caused the problems after I had been drinking," he said.

"The moment I start, there is no limit and there doesn't seem to be any stopping me."

Beadle added he still could not recall setting fire to the car: "It's not uncommon for me to forget days, weekends, when I've been drinking."

Although Beadle believed it to be Ms Halls's car, she had in fact passed it on to one of her sons.

It was subsequently written off and he received just £300 in an insurance payout.

Beadle, formerly from Swanscombe but now of Maran Way, Erith, told the court he would lose his job if jailed. But Recorder Matthew McDonagh said custody was unavoidable.

"I accept you had no intention of harming anyone or causing real injury, and now understand the relationship to be over.

"It was an isolated fire attack upon a single car. But you cannot behave in this way."

Beadle was also ordered to pay £300 compensation at a rate of £50 a month on his release from prison.