A father was killed trying to escape his burning home after youths threw a firework through his front door as a prank.

Arthur Lonsdale, 52, was overcome by smoke and fumes and found collapsed in the doorway after a Little Brother rocket was pushed through the catflap at his home in Witherwack, Sunderland, on October 28 last year.

Newcastle Crown Court heard how the estate had been awash with the deadly rockets which were being illegaly sold to youths in the area.

When firefighters reached the blaze, at the divorcee's end terrace home in Westerham Close, the property was engulfed in ferocious flames and special equipment was needed to gain access to the house.

Animal lover Mr Lonsdale, a former locksmith who had two children, was still breathing when help arrived but due to the effects of acute smoke inhalation died in hospital two days later.

A 16-year-old, who cannot be named, today admitted manslaughter.

Prosecutor Brian Forster QC told the court: "The Crown have always and still put the case on the basis the defendant was one of a group of young people who went to that house.

"We do not attempt to say it was this defendant who carried out the physical act of putting the rocket through the cat flap."

The teenager had confessed to pals after the killing: "We didn't mean it. It was only a little joke.

"I can't understand how it's done that much damage."

Mr Forster told the court how youths had been congregating in the area in the weeks leading up the guy fawkes night and rockets being let off in the street had been common place.

Mr Forster said; "Residents of the estate spoke of their being many incidents in the weeks leading up to the death when fireworks had been let off.

"Fireworks had clearly been on sale for some considerable time because on September 1 police had seized Little Brother rockets from a group of youths in Witherwack.

"People living in the estate had seen a gang of youths congregating. Fireworks would be thrown and they were making themselves a nuisance.

"It is the prosecution's case the defendant was one of that group who met on the estate and who had fireworks in their possession.

"There is no witness who ever saw this defendnat himself holding or throwing a firework in a previous incident but he was one of the group.

"The problem had become so bad one witness described how it seemed as if every young person on the estate had fireworks."

The court heard how the firework which was thrown into Mr Lonsdale's home had become lodged beneath his fridgefreezer and spread flames to nearby newspapers and a bean bag.

Devastating damage was caused to the property where Mr Lonsdale had set up a cat sanctuary and all of his pets perished in the blaze.

A number of other youths who were believed to have been present were questioned after the fire but there was no evidence found to link them to the incident.

The 16-year-old will be sentenced on September 5 after the preparation of reports.

Judge David Hodson granted him conditional bail in the meantime but warned: "You must appreciate for an offence of this nature the overwhelmihng likelihood is a period of custody."