An American student who discarded a match which started a fire in a jumbo jet's toilet escaped jail on a legal loophole.

Jonathan Grode, 23, of Bedford Square, Brighton, appeared at Crawley Magistrates' Court, and admitted acting in a manner likely to endanger an aircraft on September 5.

Grode is originally from Philadelphia and is studying at Sussex University.

Ann Toynbee, prosecuting, said a woman passenger on Virgin Atlantic flight VS 018 from Newark, New Jersey, to Gatwick was waiting to use the toilet.

Mrs Toynbee said: "As the door opened and Grode came out she noticed the toilet was full of smoke and the smoke detector alarm was sounding.

"Cabin staff used a fire extinguisher and a fire retarding blanket to beat out the flames, which had originated in a waste bin. A packet of book matches was found nearby.

"At no stage did Grode report the incident to cabin crew or try to explain."

Police were alerted and Grode was arrested when the jet landed.

Mrs Toynbee said Grode told police he had tried to light a cigarette even though he knew smoking was banned on the flight.

He said he had "discarded the match into the bin, thinking it had gone out as he dropped it in."

Keith Goodhand, defending, said: "Mr Grode accepts that lighting a cigarette was a clear breach of aircraft regulations.

"He acted with extreme stupidity although he did not deliberately set fire to the bin. When he realised what was happening he tried to rummage into it to put the fire out himself."

Grode was fined £2,500 with £118 costs.

District Judge Kevin Gladwell said the offence was serious enough to justify a custodial sentence.

He said: "My hands are tied because a previous bench when ordering probation reports had stipulated that the case should be kept at the magistrates' court and not referred to a higher court."

A higher court could have jailed Grode.

After the case Grode, who is studying to be a lawyer, said: "The punishment was fair. I should not have lit it up. I have since booked an appointment with a hypnotherapist to try to give up smoking."

A Virgin Atlantic security official who attended the hearing as an observer said she was surprised by the sentence.