A MAN who sprayed a friend with sun tan lotion and set fire to it has been jailed for ten months.

Saxon Bryher Axe, 20, appeared at Dorchester Crown Court after admitting an offence of inflicting grievous bodily harm in relation to an incident that left his victim with serious burns.

The court was told that Axe and friends were on Weymouth seafront near the King’s Statue on June 19 when he began to spray his victim’s exposed lower right leg with a sun cream aerosol.

Prosecutor Heather Shimmen said: “The defendant then held a lit cigarette to the victim’s leg and it engulfed his leg in flames.

“The victim tried to extinguish the flames as did a friend, but to no avail.”

She said the defendant also tried to assist before carrying the victim on to the beach, where he poured water over his leg. The victim was taken to hospital and treated for a burn to his leg.

John Dyer, mitigating, said that Axe’s life had ‘spiralled downwards’ since the death of his father prior to the offence and he was ‘full of remorse’ for his behaviour that his left his victim – who had been a friend for several years – with a serious injury.

He called Axe’s mother Dawn to give evidence and she told the court that the death of her husband had been ‘very traumatic for the whole family’.

She added: “It was very hard on him.”

Mr Dyer said the offence itself was an act of foolishness and was not in any way premeditated or malicious.

He said: “There is no malice and no motive, it was just an absolute foolish prank that went wrong.”

Mr Dyer added: “It was a completely thoughtless act which has resulted in very serious consequences.”

Judge Roger Jarvis said that the evidence before the court was that the victim would need a skin graft to avoid permanent disfigurement.

He told the defendant: “There were you with a number of others fooling around and then as part of that you sprayed this victim with sun tan lotion and set fire to it.

“It is patently obvious that was a foolish and dangerous thing to do and wickedly thoughtless so far as you are concerned with some very serious consequences for your victim.” Judge Jarvis sentenced Axe, of Canberra Road, Weymouth, to 10 months in custody.