A violent arsonist has been jailed after he admitted setting fire to his partner’s car and a block of flats.

Paul Varran was imprisoned for three years after he pleaded guilty to torching his partner’s car and the block of flats she lived in near Coombe Lane, Raynes Park, on May 30.

The serious fire meant Rowan Court residents had to be temporarily re-housed, with seven of them having to be rescued by firefighters through a first-floor window.

The incident, at 6.30pm on the second May Bank Holiday, saw twenty firefighters deployed and massive disruption to traffic between Wimbledon and Kingston.

But Merton Police said it was “not in the public interest” to release a photograph of Mr Varran, who was sentenced to three years for committing arson recklessly at Kingston Crown Court on October 21.

Varran, of no fixed address, also admitted hitting the same woman earlier in the day in Kingston town centre, for which he was sentenced to two months, and owned up to two more separate arson charges (sentenced for 16 months and 12 months).

He will serve all the sentences at the same time - three years in total (taking into account 142 days Varran had already served on remand before being sentenced).

The officer who led the investigation, Detective Constable Pete Oestreich, said he was pleased with the sentence, which he believed reflected the severity of the offence.

Det Con Oestreich said: “Mr Varran's actions endangered a number of people who were resident in the block of flats, as well as members of the emergency services called to deal with incident.

“It should be noted that Mr Varran's guilty plea indicates that the quality of the evidence gathered during the investigation was of a highest standard and is a testament to the work of both the initial investigating officers and the Community Safety Unit.”

Police also urged residents affected by domestic violence to contact them by calling 101 or visiting: met.police.uk/csu/domestic_violence.htm.

Were you affected by this incident? Contact Omar by calling 020 8722 6335; tweeting @OmarOakes or emailing: ooakes@london.newsquest.co.uk.