A BOYFRIEND wielded a samurai sword and later launched a 'revenge' petrol bomb attack after a feud developed with his girlfriend's family who did not approve of him.

Carl Ellitts had already admitted attempted arson and affray when he was sentenced over prison videolink at Worcester Crown Court on Tuesday.

The 22-year-old was in a relationship with Kiera Kyte but her family 'were not happy about that' said John Brotherton, prosecuting. Miss Kyte's father returned home and was 'surprised to see her' because she had moved in with the defendant only the day before.

Mr Brotherton described an argument outside her address in Hilton Road, Malvern on December 27 last year as her father 'tried to restrain her' and stop her going away with Ellitts who was in a friend's car.

This led to a confrontation between Ellitts, his friend and other members of the Kyte family during which the defendant produced weapons - breaking a glass bottle and swinging a sword.

The attempted arson attack on the Kyte's car took place on December 29 when Ellitts returned to the address with a petrol bomb after the car in which the defendant was a passenger had been damaged by his girlfriend's mother during the previous affray.

Judge Nicolas Cartwright, sentencing, said: "You stormed towards her father. The Kyte family ended up outside the property. You smashed a bottle although you did not use it. Threats were being shouted including challenges of 'bring it on' which were being thrown back in your direction."

Judge Cartwright said Ellitts and his co-accused then produced weapons with Ellitts brandishing a samurai sword.

"You were waving it around, threatening Kiera Kyte's brother with it. That provoked the production of a weapon by him.

"All of this took place in a very public place involving a good number of people. The car window of the car you had arrived in was broken."

The court heard that Kiera's mother had punched the windscreen of the car, causing to break and there had been 'stand-offs' with people on both sides shouting threats at each other.

The judge said there had been a real risk of people getting seriously injured and of the situation escalating, adding that it must have been 'terrifying' for anyone who might have seen what was happening.

Judge Cartwright said Ellitts had time to 'cool off' but instead returned two days later with a petrol bomb and, at 1.30am in a residential area, threw it at the Kyte family's Vauxhall Zafira, plainly intending to destroy the vehicle.

However, the petrol bomb broke the window and bounced off, burning out on the road within a minute. Although no significant damage was caused, the judge said it was 'not for want of trying' and the foreseeable result was that someone would come out and attempt to extinguish the fire and get injured in the process.

Referring to aggravating features the judge said: "This was a revenge attack. You used accelerant but not just petrol or some other flammable liquid sloshed from some container. This was a petrol bomb that was prepared by somebody and used by you."

The defendant, who has previous convictions for assault occasioning actual bodily harm and witness intimidation, said over the link he had 'held his hands up' for what he had done and wanted to be sentenced.

He answered 'no comment' in police interview other than to say the petrol nozzle found by police was for a motorbike.

Peter Pride, defending, said his client had been in custody since January 27 awaiting sentence and, because of the coronavirus pandemic, had been in his cell 23 hours a day.

"I would ask the court to bear that in mind" he said. The advocate asked for credit for his client's guilty pleas.

He added: "I simply ask that there are some bright lights afforded to him at the end of the tunnel."

Mr Pride argued that there was some responsibility upon the Kyte family.

He added: "What's clear from Kiera's statement is that her father was grabbing her and trying to prevent her going to the car where he knew the defendant was. They may have had their reasons. She, being an adult, was trying to get in the car and they were stopping her.’

Ellitts of Burton Crescent, Wolverhampton, was jailed for 32 months.