A thug who was caught on doorbell footage attacking his ex-girlfriend's home returned just hours after being released by police to burn it down as she slept in a fire that killed her dog.
Adrian West, 61, had subjected Louise Simpson, 53, to a campaign of violent attacks last year which saw him strangle and physically abuse her, before she eventually kicked him out of her house in Crawley, Sussex, on September 13.
Furious that Ms Simpson had ended the relationship, West returned to the property later that day and smashed her doorbell camera with a rock - an incident which was caught on the device and saw him spend the night behind bars.
But after being released the following day without charge, West returned and set her porch ablaze before the flames quickly engulfed the entire house.
Ms Simpson, who was sleeping at the time, was awoken by neighbours and scrambled to escape as her bedroom filled with plumes of black smoke.
