A FORMER Grays man has been jailed for 24 years after he and his lover – also jailed for theme amount of time, trying to kill a man by setting him on fire after dousing him with petrol.

The verdict was handed out at Basildon Crown Court to Alan Archer, 33, formerly of Grays but who moved to Southend to be with his lover Jane Reilly, 53, who ran a pie and mash shop in the town. Archer is well known in the Thurrock area where he had a prolific record of petty thefts, including shoplifting.

The duo filled up a five litre can of petrol at a BP garage on London Road in Southend in the middle of the night, before going to a house in Southchurch Avenue, Southend, dousing the man with the fuel and setting fire to him twice on October 30, 2019.

As the victim ran around in flames, trying to remove his shirt, Archer - who had moved to Southend from his former home in Dexter Close, Grays just a couple of weeks before the attack - attacked him, punching him as he was on the grass trying to extinguish the flames.

The incident was all caught on CCTV.

The victim suffered burns to 60 per cent of his body, and when being examined by paramedics, they realised there was nerve damage as he could not feel the areas where he was burnt. He ended up losing four toes.

Passing the sentence on both of 24 years, Judge Samatha Leigh said their actions 'beggared belief' and the attack on a completely innocent man was part of an 'evil' plan.

The jury at the three week trial failed to reach verdicts on two other defendants present at the time - Paul Bruns, 53, of York Road, Southend and Ben Ince, 41, of no fixed address – and the judge discharged them.

The Crown Prosecution Service has said it will look to pursue a retrial.