A boy accused of torching a school confessed to a man he hardly knew the following day, a court heard.

The 16-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is alleged to have broken into the staff room at Tideway School, Newhaven, in April with the intention of stealing money.

He denies burglary and starting a fire which caused damage costing millions of pounds and burnt down the entire school hall.

Paul Davis, 20, from Gibbon Road, Newhaven, was giving evidence at the third day of a trial at Lewes Crown Court yesterday. He told the jury he knew the defendant through his brother and was casually acquainted with him.

Mr Davis said he bumped into the defendant and another boy outside Roy's Liquor Store in Newhaven at about 1pm the day after the blaze. He said: "I asked what they were up to and the defendant said 'I set the fire at Tideway'. He could not keep it bottled up.

"The other boy said the defendant had broken into the staff room and he had seen him lighting bits of paper."

Jeffrey Lamb, defending, said: "I suggest you had no conversation at all about this fire with the defendant."

Mr Davis replied: "Yes I did."

A 16-year-old girl told the jury she had overheard the defendant talking to another boy about burgling the school hours before the fire.

She was in a group of about 15 youngsters gathered outside Roy's Liquor Store. She said: "They said they were going to rob Tideway. He said he was going to do it that night.

"He asked two other boys if they wanted to go but they said they could not be bothered."

Mr Lamb said the girl had not heard his client talking about robbing the school.

Catherine Murphy, of Harbour View Road, Newhaven, said she was driving near the school on the night of the fire and saw a boy acting suspiciously. He was hiding behind a wall and rubbing his hands.

She later picked the defendant out in an identity parade, the court heard. The trial continues.