An arsonist who set fire to a bed in the wrong flat when he attempted to take revenge on a man has been jailed for just under seven years.

Sam Stockford took the drastic step after his girlfriend Jody Arney accused her cousin Alfie Lovell of stealing money from her.

The pair smashed their way into a flat in Wakefield Road, Greenhithe, in the evening and demanded: “Get out of bed Alfie.”

They trashed property in the flat before 29-year-old Stockford started the fire, causing extensive damage.

But the flat turned out to be the home of Kayleigh Cooper, 19, who happened to be staying at her mother’s house with her son that night.

Stockford and Arney, 24, of Fleet Avenue, Dartford, had mistaken it for Mr Lovell’s, who lived next door.

Maidstone Crown Court heard when Mr Lovell called Arney and told her what they had done, she replied: “You give my name and I will burn you out properly.”

Father-of-two Stockford, of Watling Street, Dartford, was jailed for six years and nine months after admitting arson with intent to endanger life.

Because Arney, who admitted criminal damage, had spent six months in custody on remand - the equivalent of a 12-month sentence - she was sentenced to year-long community order.

The judge imposed a 30-day rehabilitation activity requirement and a one-month curfew between 8pm and 6am.

Prosecutor Mary Jacobson said Mr Lovell and his girlfriend Lucy Chater had been out with Stockford and Arney on April 3 last year.

Arney later accused Mr Lovell of taking £280 from her bag. He protested his innocence in a phone call but Arney told him: “I am going to beat the mother’s ---- out of you and Lucy and drag you both out.”

He then received a text from Arney saying they would be round in five minutes. As a result, Mr Lovell barricaded the door of his flat.

He saw Stockford and Arney pull up in a car. Arney threw her shoe at his window and shouted: “Come out Alfie, you ----.” He called the police.

The couple broke down the communal door. Mr Lovell could see Stockford was holding something, believed to be a hammer.

Miss Jacobson said Stockford and Arney smashed open the door to the wrong flat. Mr Lovell and Miss Chater were so terrified they locked their two children aged four and 18 months in their bathroom.

They could hear the sound of property being damaged in the other flat. After they left the hallway filled with smoke.

Mr Lovell and Miss Chater grabbed their children and fled. Mr Lovell had a panic attack.

When arrested, Arney became aggressive and kicked a police officer. She had to be restrained on the ground. Stockford also assaulted an officer.

Mr Lovell said in an impact statement he had been terrified and their children had been affected by what happened.

Judge Charles Macdonald QC told Stockford: “Arson with intent is a very serious offence and this was a revenge attack.

“You forced the door to the flat, mistakenly thinking it was home of Alfie Lovell. You set fire to bedding intentionally and intending to endanger the life of Mr Lovell.

“The real danger was not from the fire but the toxic smoke. You two ran for it and the occupants fled in terror. That fear persists.”

The judge said the dominant feature of Arney’s case was the time she spent in custody.

In the aftermath of the fire, Miss Cooper spoke of her devastation - but overwhelming gratitude to friends and strangers - after her home was destroyed in the arson attack.

The 19-year-old was staying at her mother’s house with her son Harley, two, when her home was torched.

Miss Cooper, who was put into temporary accommodation, said at the time: "It’s just so upsetting, I’ve lost everything. My whole life has gone. Obviously I’m grateful to be alive. Me and Harley could both have been dead if we were in the flat that night, but it’s made me angry as well. I try to get on with everyone in the flats.

"All this has happened because of someone else’s drama, but it’s me that’s had everything destroyed. I can’t believe it.

“I’m still in a state of shock to be honest. My emotions keep switching all the time, I keep crying and getting angry.

“There’s a lot of sentimental things I can’t get back. I had a box with my little boy’s first curl in it, and his hospital tag, photos that aren’t on Facebook. That’s what’s upset me the most."