A SUFFOLK College student and his friend have been jailed for setting light to a car tyre.Martin Woods, 25, of Downside Close, Ipswich and Samuel Tecklenberg, 23, of Kingfisher Rise, Saxmundham, pleaded guilty to arson.

A SUFFOLK College student and his friend have been jailed for setting light to a car tyre.

Martin Woods, 25, of Downside Close, Ipswich and Samuel Tecklenberg, 23, of Kingfisher Rise, Saxmundham, pleaded guilty to arson. They were jailed for 12 months.

Ipswich Crown Court heard that Tecklenberg, a chef with a promising future, had set fire to a car because of a "grudge". He told police the car owner's son, Darren Lindon, had bullied his sister in the past at a Hadleigh high school. Tecklenberg said he was very drunk at the time of the offence and had wanted to take revenge.

Tecklenberg and Woods had driven to Mr Lindon's address in Pykenham Way, Hadleigh, and set fire to paper they pushed under the wheel arch of Candy Bugg's car. Mr Lindon stamped out the flames and he and his brother, Nicky Bugg, gave chase to Tecklenberg and Woods as they drove away from the scene. The damage to the car was valued at £57.

The court heard that Woods had two previous convictions for causing actual bodily harm and criminal damage, but he had been trying to better himself to a college course.

Tecklenberg was of previous good character, had left school with 11 GCSEs, completed a catering course at Suffolk College and was working as a £16,000 a year chef.

Judge John Devaux said the men had pleaded guilty on the day they were due to stand trial so little credit would be given for their pleas. He said: "The fire was quickly extinguished so the damage was less than it could have been, and the likelihood of you re-offending is low. However, you were both involved in arson as the result of a grudge.

"I do not need to determine if Mr Lindon was a bully, it does not justify your actions. Tecklenberg, you wanted to teach him a lesson, and what you did was a dangerous and cowardly act."