A MAN burgled a former close friend and set his garden shed on fire after they fell out when the defendant kicked his pet dog to death.

Matthew Benjamin, 39, from Monmouthshire, was jailed in December 2019 for killing his Staffordshire bull terrier called Diesel in a “cowardly and vicious” attack.

The defendant and Lee Miller were no longer speaking after this and the defendant suspected him of stealing a tractor from him.

Cardiff Crown Court heard how the pair had once been “close friends”.

South Wales Argus:

Matthew Benjamin

Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke told Benjamin he had carried out a “revenge attack” at the victim’s home in Mathern, near Chepstow.

Emma Harris, prosecuting, said the defendant burgled the property, smashed the windscreen of a BMW 1 series car and set fire to a garden shed.

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Neighbours had tried to put out the blaze with a hosepipe before firefighters arrived and extinguished it.

As Benjamin was being arrested for the burglary and arson, he was breathalysed and found to be more than twice the drink driving limit.

The defendant, of Earlswood Road, Earlswood, Shirenewton, pleaded guilty to arson, burglary, criminal damage, drink driving and driving while disqualified.

The offences took place on September 10, 2021.

Benjamin has nine previous convictions for 17 offences and was jailed last year for dangerous driving.

He was drinking between 10 and 15 pints a day

Karl Williams, mitigating, told the court about the arson offence: “The defendant said, ‘I dropped a fag butt. When I left the shed, it wasn’t on fire.’”

Benjamin, a builder was abusing alcohol heavily at the time of the offences.

His barrister added: “The defendant was drinking between 10 and 15 pints a day.

“He was working seven days a week between 6am and 7pm.”

Mr Williams said his client had suffered tragedy in his life.

A former girlfriend was murdered by her partner in 2017 who killed himself, he revealed.

Benjamin was declared bankrupt in 2018.

He was, his lawyer said, determined to address his alcohol problem and had already served nearly five months in custody.

Judge Lloyd-Clarke told the defendant: “It was a revenge attack on your own admission.

“The premises and victim were deliberately targeted.”

She jailed Benjamin for 22 months.

She banned him from driving for three years and 11 months and told he would have to pass an extended test.

He was also ordered to pay Mr Miller compensation.