AN arsonist set himself on fire when petrol from a jerry can blew up in his face as he tried to destroy a £50,000 car.

Christopher Field, Kieran Harris and David Berry were all jailed for their role in the arson attack in Worcester.

An Audi Q7 valued at £50,000 was doused in petrol and set ablaze while it was parked in a driveway in Farne Avenue, St Peter’s.

Field, 31, of HMP Hewell, Harris, 22, of Farne Avenue, St Peter's, Worcester, and David Berry, aged 23, of Eastfield Close, Fernhill Heath, near Worcester had already admitted arson when they appeared at Worcester Crown Court for sentencing on Friday.

The family of the car's owner, company director Alan Barnes, were asleep in the house during the attack on December 3, 2014.

John Evans, prosecuting, said the car was set on fire at around 2.15am using petrol from a can bought by Berry from a Texaco garage shortly beforehand.

Only Field and Berry were present at the time of the arson although it had been organised by Harris, the court heard.

Mr Evans said: “Mr Field went over to the Audi Q7, poured petrol over the front part of the car and went to set light to it with a cigarette lighter.

“There was an explosion when the petrol ignited which caught Mr Field in its blast. He caught on fire to some degree, suffering burns to his face which are shown in the photographs."

Field ran back to the Ford Fiesta being driven by Berry and the pair drove to Teme Road in Tolladine, Worcester where Field was living with his girlfriend, Klair Bradshaw.

The Audi was described by Mr Evans as a ‘write-off’ while £1,200 damage was caused to the driveway.

Field left a lighter and the petrol can at the scene.

From the lighter police obtained a DNA sample matched to Klair Bradshaw. From this they traced her boyfriend Field to his flat in Teme Road, finding him ‘hiding under a duvet behind the sofa’ on December 6, 2014.

CCTV footage showed Berry buying petrol at a Texaco garage before the attack.

In interview Field claimed someone else had tried to start the fire and he had tried to intervene to stop them and got caught in the explosion.

Harris was arrested on January 15, 2015. He admitted his girlfriend, named in court as 'Alice', lived in Farne Avenue, near where the arson took place.

A text from Harris to her read: “I’m getting that thing done tonight.”

The court heard that it was Alice who had a grievance against Mr Barnes and that Harris arranged for Field and Berry to carry out the attack.

In a victim personal statement Mr Barnes said he had two young sons whose sleep had been affected and they had been concerned for their safety.

Gerald Bermingham, for Berry, said: “He was brought up properly."

He said Berry had thrown away a ‘bright future’ but could still have one depending on his sentence.

Richard Hull, for Field, said: “He’s someone who has struggled with an addiction to drugs for a significant period of time.

"His mother passed away in 2010. The defendant struggled to deal with that loss.”

Nicholas Berry, for Harris, said: "He’s young. Although his record is unattractive he’s not entrenched in crime to the extent there’s no hope for his future.”

Harris now works as a barber and has stable accommodation.

Judge Nick Cartwright said: “None of you gave police an honest account.

"It is not entirely clear why it was that, between the three of you, you set fire to somebody’s £50,000 car on their drive at 2.15am when a family was asleep in their beds in a nearby house."

He said it was Kieran Harris who organised the attack, Berry was responsible for transport and obtaining the fuel in a jerrycan and Field doused the car in petrol and set it on fire.

Harris and Berry were each sentenced to 29 months in prison. Field was sentenced to 23 months which will be consecutive to a 31-month prison sentence he is already serving for burglary and theft.