A SERIAL offender has been sentenced to more than eight years in jail after admitting a string of offences.

Jordan Clarke, 28, of Gilbert Way, Braintree, was arrested in the early hours of the morning on May 8 after setting fire to his ex-partner's house and her mother’s house in Braintree and Great Notley.

He was charged with nine offences, including two counts of arson, attempted kidnap, breaching a restraining order, burglary, theft, driving whilst disqualified and actual bodily harm all relating to the evening of May 7.

Clarke was previously convicted of actual bodily harm on his then girlfriend in April and was subjected to a community order and a restraining order was also put in place.

Despite the restraining order, Clarke contacted her and the couple met up in Braintree on the evening of May 7.

An argument about infidelity escalated and Clarke attacked his ex, causing a black eye, cuts, scratches and bruises.

Clarke, who has previously been convicted of 27 offences ranging from drug offences to assault charges, then attempted to get her into the boot of her vehicle. Failing to do so, he fled the scene in her car, leaving her stranded at the scene where a passer-by had witnessed part of the assault.

Later in the evening Clarke broke into his own father’s home in Great Hallingbury, obtaining the keys to his father’s Peugeot van, which he drove to his ex’s home, despite being disqualified from driving, and used the keys in her car to let himself in to start a fire.

Straight after, Clarke made for her mother’s house, where he started another fire.

Both houses were severely smoke damaged but no one was injured.

Clarke admitted all the offences.

Richard Conley, mitigating, said: “Mr Clarke has had something of a turbulent history, he has had bountiful problems which have not been given perhaps the attention and support they need. He has now spent a number of months in custody. Although he is not a person who has been law abiding, this will be his first big sentence.”

Judge David Turner QC, said: “I have nothing but sympathy for the distress you have put your family through.

“The one thing that can be said in your favour is that you have admitted the charges at the first opportunity.”

Clarke was sentenced to a total of eight years and nine months across all nine charges with the majority of sentences to run consecutively.