A BOY aged 12 who torched a primary school causing damage to the tune of £7,000, was today starting a four month term behind bars.

The child, who burst into tears when a judge told him he was a persistent offender and had to go to custody, was likely to strike again and might even harm somebody, a crown court heard.

The schoolboy had earlier been given a six-month detention and training order by Hyndburn youth court but had been granted bail pending appeal against sentence.

Recorder Beverley Lunt, sitting with two justices, reduced the order to four months but said the lower court had been quite right to send him to detention.

The boy, from Clayton-le-Moors, cannot be named for legal reasons.

He sat with his mother throughout the proceedings at Burnley Crown Court which was told he had earlier been convicted of arson, theft and burglary.

Roger Baldwin, for the Crown, said last March the boy pushed a piece of paper through the letter box of St Mary's Primary School, Devonshire Drive, Clayton-le-Moors, and lit it with a cigarette lighter.

The piece of paper set fire to a table with a cloth on and the blaze began to spread.

The 12-year-old was then seen to light some more paper, put it through the letter box and laughed as he did so.

He told other youths :"It's right," and said that the fire would go out. He then fled.

Mr Baldwin said a governors' meeting was being held in the adjacent presbytery, the headteacher was alerted and police and fire brigade called.

The fire caused £7,000 worth of smoke damage but when the boy was arrested, he denied he was present when the fire was started

Mr Baldwin said the 12-year-old also raided the home of a postman in Clayton-le-Moors and helped himself to property worth £1,000.

Robert Crawford, defending, said the child was very immature for his age. He realised his behaviour could not continue but was frightened of going to detention.

No community penalty other than a conditional discharge had ever been imposed upon him.

Mr Crawford said it was rare, if ever, he had seen a child so young go to custody and the court had to ask itself if the youngster was such a bad lot that it had to wash its hand of him at such an early stage.

It was in society's interests that the 12 year old's anti-social behaviour be addressed immediately.

The school arson offence was a serious matter but, thankfully, the fire was put out before things got out of hand.