A cannabis user has admitted setting fire to his family home in Dartmouth in December last year but denied being reckless about whether anyone was hurt in the blaze.

 Jai Griffiths, aged 36, previously of Davis Road, Dartmouth, but now in custody, pleaded guilty to arson and personal possession of cannabis when he appeared at Exeter Crown Court by video link from prison.

 He denied a more serious charge of arson, being reckless whether life was endangered and the prosecution have been given until next week to decide whether to proceed to a trial on this count.

 The arson was committed at the family home in Davis Road, Dartmouth, on December 9, 2022, and led to a fire which was put out by the Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service on that day.

 The cannabis charge relates to a small amount of the drug which was seized by police on his arrest.

 Judge Anna Richardson adjourned the case and ordered an update to a psychiatric report which has been prepared by a doctor at Langdon Hospital, Dawlish.