A TEENAGER who had been on a five-day drink and drugs binge set fire to the family home after becoming paranoid about people trying to get into the house to try to kill him.

Blackburn magistrates heard there were no other people in the house at the time but a pet dog and a hamster both died in the blaze which caused £87,000 of damage.

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The court was told the boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, eventually jumped from a bedroom window to escape the blaze he had started.

The 17-year-old pleaded guilty to arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered. He was remanded on bail for the preparation of pre-sentence and mental health reports with a warning that a custodial sentence would be considered.

Scott Ainge, prosecuting, said the boy was seen hanging out of an upstairs window of an end terrace house in Darwen in July. A fire had been started and the youth then smashed the window before throwing a mattress out and jumping out himself.

He later told police he had been on a five-day drink and drug binge during which he had taken amphetamine, cocaine, cannabis and legal highs and had drunk at least four bottles of vodka. He said he had taken a 'bomb' of ketamine the day before the fire.

He said he was tripping, seeing and hearing things. He believed there were people downstairs who were trying to kill him and he started the fire to create a barrier.

Mr Ainge said after his arrest the youth was admitted to hospital under the mental health act but discharged after a month and passed as fit to plead.

Peter King, defending, said there were no other people in the house which the youth shared with his mother and sister.

"It is accepted that two animals died and that is clearly unfortunate," said Mr King.

He said his client had taken a cocktail of drugs and alcohol over a five-day period with little sleep or food and it was clear to everyone he had been behaving extremely strangely.

"He had become paranoid to the extent that he believed he was being threatened," said Mr King. "He thought people were coming into the house and the only way he could thwart that was to start a fire. He was upstairs and had no means of escape other than jumping out of the upstairs window."

Mr King said police were so concerned about the defendant's condition when they got him to the police station he was immediately transferred to hospital. He said it was the first time his client had been in any kind of trouble with the law.