A man who pushed a bottle containing petrol though a letterbox at the Ipswich home of his ex-girlfriend’s new partner has been jailed for 49 months.

Jermaine O’Connor, 30, had been in a relationship with Precious White and was upset when she started a new relationship with Mohammed Redwan Hussain, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

O’Connor went to Mr Hussain’s home in Nacton Road, Ipswich, in April last year and threw a brick though the window and pushed a bottle of petrol thought the letter box, said Catherine Bradshaw, prosecuting.

He also had a knife in his possession when he went to Mr Hussain’s home and made threats.

O’Connor had become upset after Mr Hussain visited Miss White’s flat and had punched him in the face causing his nose to bleed and a black eye, said Miss Bradshaw.

She said O’Connor had committed robbery by going to a tanning salon where Miss White’s mother, Julie Lander, worked in May last year and taking money from the till.

She said O’Connor had also sent a number of texts and telephone calls after Miss White and Miss Lander wouldn’t let him see his daughter on her birthday.

He had also assaulted three police officers by spitting at them.

O’Connor, of no fixed address, admitted three offences of assault by beating, putting Julie Lander and her family in fear of violence by harassment, stealing a mobile phone from Precious White, robbing Julie Lander of cash, having a knife in Nacton Road, Ipswich, assaulting Mohammed Redwan Hussain causing him actual bodily harm and putting Mr Hussain in fear of violence by harassment.

In addition to jailing O’Connor, Judge John Devaux made restraining orders banning him from contacting Mr Hussain and his family and Miss White and members of her family.

Steven Dyble, representing O’Connor, said his client had been diagnosed with a mental illness which couldn’t be treated in hospital. He said although O’Connor had placed a bottle containing an accelerant through Mr Hussain’s letterbox there was no suggestion he had made any effort to set light to it.

“It was done more as a threat,” said Mr Dyble.

He said O’Connor hadn’t used a weapon during the robbery at the tanning shop and no violence was used to Miss Lander.