Serial offender Jamie Arnold is back behind bars today after colliding with a car, assaulting the driver and then stealing his vehicle.

The 30-year-old, of Limetree Road, Beach Station Caravan Park, Felixstowe, was jailed for 20 weeks by Ipswich magistrates after going on a two-hour mini crime spree.

Arnold had admitted assaulting two men, taking a car without consent, and racially aggravated disorderly behaviour against another man.

The first incident occurred in Russell Road in Felixstowe, near the junction with Sea Road at 6.30pm last Wednesday.

Arnold’s victim said he was driving a gold Volvo C70 converitble and had turned into Russell Road when his left wing was struck by a pedestrian.

The 40-year-old driver got out of his vehicle to ask if the man was hurt.

Arnold was reported to have had his fists clenched as he approached the driver, who was then pushed to the ground. Arnold got into the man’s car and drove away.

Although a nearby cyclist said he did not know who the thief was, they were overheard to tell other witnesses it was Arnold.

At 9.10pm the Volvo was found with its front in bushes in Russell Road. A search was made and enquiries led police to the Grosvenor public house.

Officers were told a male in his 40s who had been watching football on the pub’s television at around 8pm had been approached by Arnold in an aggressive manner before being racially abused.

Further enquiries led police to discover Arnold had assaulted a 55-year-old man in Walton Avenue at around 8.30pm.

The man was in a caravan when he heard a loud bang outside. He opened the door to investigate and saw Arnold kicking a shed.

An altercation ensued which led to Arnold hitting the man in the face.

Arnold has a long history of offending dating back many years.

In May 2011 he was jailed for 20 months for smashing a bottle over a pub manager’s head after only having been out of prison for three days.

Arnold, then of Fritton Close, Ipswich admitted carrying out the attack, as well as burglary and a theft.

At his sentencing, Ipswich Crown Court he had attacked the shift manager at the Robert Ransome in Tower Street, Ipswich, on April 4, 2011, after stealing two bottles of beer.

Earlier on the day of the attack, Arnold had been seen stealing a bottle of wine from the Co-op in Prince of Wales Drive.

The court heard that, at the time, he had only been out of prison for three days after serving a sentence for shoplifting.

Ian Duckworth, mitigating, conceded his client had an appalling record and said there was concern about him becoming institutionalised.