A MAN who set fire to a pile of newspapers in a drunken 'prank' has been sentenced to 120 hours' community service.

Daniel Michael Kearns, 22, of Byron Close, Middlewich, appeared in Chester Crown Court yesterday, Tuesday, after admitting arson.

Prosecuting, Matthew Corbett Jones told the court that Kearns had appeared on CCTV footage outside the Tesco store in Cledford at 4.50am on June 16. He was seen banging on the glass door and opening and interfering with a pile of newspapers before setting fire to them. He stayed with them until the fire spread, urinated on them and finally went to call the fire brigade.

By then, Tesco staff had arrived and were able to identify Kearns. He told police that he had been drinking all day and had gone to the Tesco store to get cigarettes. When he found it closed, he became frustrated and set the papers alight.

Mr Corbett Jones said he had cost Tesco a total of £1,427.99 in damage, cleaning and lost revenue. Defending, Nick Walker said the action was 'no cause for future concern', and had been the result of drunkenness. He said: "I don't mean to diminish the behaviour but it could be considered a prank that went wrong."

Sentencing, Judge Elgan Edwards said although people did stupid things while drunk they didn't usually set fire to piles of newspapers.

He told Kearns: "You are not mentally ill, you were drunk. But to set fire to these papers could have caused severe damage or injury to someone."

He sentenced him to a 120-hour community punishment order, and ordered him to pay £1,427.99 compensation to Tesco.