AN arsonist has been jailed after subjecting a woman to a campaign of harassment and abuse.

Harry Page, 24, of Hedgemans Road, Dagenham, was sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court on Tuesday, July 26.

He admitted to one count each of arson, burglary, stalking involving serious alarm or distress, assault and disclosing private sexual photographs and films with intent to cause distress.

Page has been jailed for four years and issued with a ten-year restraining order for the victim and her family members.

He will remain on licence for a further two years after serving his sentence as he was deemed to be a dangerous offender by the court.

In September 2021, while the woman was out having lunch with a group of friends, Page video-called the group and showed himself inside the woman’s home in Chelmsford.

Officers arrived to find that someone had forced their way through the rear door of her house and her bedroom had been completely trashed, resulting in hundreds of pounds of damage.

While the woman was making a statement to officers at a nearby police station, Page called her phone over 40 times.

He also sent her threatening emails and repeatedly called her friends, demanding to know why she wasn’t answering.

Later that evening, Page re-entered the rear of the property.

Nearby officers saw smoke rising from the back of the house and found that a rear room was on fire.

Page later admitted to setting the property alight deliberately, resulting in over £200,000 damage and the irreplaceable loss of family memories and belongings.

The woman said she had been experiencing harassment and torment for months prior to the incident and Page was arrested a few days later, charged and remanded in custody.

Officers from the Essex Police domestic abuse investigation team, who investigated the case, have praised the bravery of the woman, who said that Page’s actions had left her “petrified”.

When asked to describe the impact his crimes have had, she said that “the best way I can describe this, is that he has taken my life without killing me.”

PC Jenny Clarke, the investigating officer, whose hard work was praised by the prosecution in court, said: “This is once again an awful example of someone setting out to ruin the life of another person, purely because they haven’t been able to manipulate them and get their own way.

“It’s truly despicable and if it hadn’t been for the bravery of the woman who came forward, I think Page would have continued to torment her for the sheer pleasure of it.

“People like her are the reason we do this job day in and day out – they deserve answers and to see the perpetrators held accountable for their actions.”

Essex Police urged anyone suffering from abuse, stalking or harassment to report it.

If you need to speak with the police urgently but fear someone may overhear, call 999 and press 55 when instructed to do so.

This will alert the operator that you are in a dangerous situation and need help.

If you are concerned by your partner’s behaviour, Clare’s Law also allows people who think they may have a violent partner to request information about them.

Further information can be found at essex.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/daa/domestic-abuse and if it will help you stay safe, clear your search history afterwards.

If you are a victim of violence, or know someone who is, you can also seek support and find community resources by visiting setdab.org.