A young man who set fire to bedding, destroying his family home, has been jailed for 32 months.

A court heard Benjamin Christie had to be dragged out of the blazing semi-detached house and repeatedly told emergency crews he was to blame, describing himself as 'a ***ing idiot'.

The 22-year-old, said to have taken a cocktail of drugs, used a naked flame to torch either his bed or bedding at the property in Watercress Close, Sevenoaks, on November 18 last year.

Although no accelerant was used and Christie tried to extinguish the fire himself by filling a waste bin with water, smoke damage totalled £50,000 and made the house uninhabitable.

Christie, his parents and sister have not yet been able to return and have only received a single insurance pay-out of £5,000 to date.

But his family were at Maidstone Crown Court to support him, leading a judge to remark it was a heartbreaking case where he had to balance their interests with the need to protect the public.

Christie cried in the dock as he was jailed, and his family gasped and sobbed.

In an unusual move, the judge allowed them a few minutes to say goodbye, telling their son to 'be strong'.

Apprentice vehicle mechanic Christie admitted arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered.

"What you have to understand are the consequences of that which happened...you recklessly endangered the lives of others" - Judge Philip Statman

The court heard his sister and mother were at their home in Watercress Close, Sevenoaks, at about 6.30am when Christie alerted them to the blaze.

They managed to flee, with his sister rescuing the family dogs. Christie's father was not at home having already gone to work.

Neighbours also fled their properties but the court heard they were not at risk.

Christie was said to be behaving erratically and violently when firefighters arrived, and kept running towards the front door.

He was restrained by police and told them: "I have been such a ***ing idiot. I caused the fire. It was me."

The court was told Christie was no longer abusing drugs and had been treated for ADHD.

But Judge Philip Statman said while there was psychological immaturity, it did not detract from his responsibility for what he did that day.

He told Christie: "What you have to understand are the consequences of that which happened.

“You recklessly endangered the lives of others. That is the danger with fire.

“You never know where it's going to spread.

"And who has suffered? The very people you love the most."