A young campaigner is behind bars awaiting sentence for setting fire to his flat in a suicide bid.

Matthew Dutton, now 21, was dragged by rescuers from his blazing home in Thursby Street, Barkerend, Bradford, at 2am on Sunday, May 19, after filling a litter bin with paper and lighting it.

Dutton, who did £1,000 of damage, was treated in hospital for smoke inhalation.

Yesterday he pleaded guilty to arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered.

He is in custody in Leeds Prison and will be sentenced on July 16 after probation and psychiatric reports are prepared. Dutton’s solicitor advocate, Anne Marie Hutton, told the court “He wanted to end his own life”.

In 2009, 17-year-old Dutton campaigned to save Bradford Council's Information Shop in the city centre and started a petition to stop the closure of the footbridge across Hall Ings.

He was also a member of Bradford and Keighley Youth Parliament. Then a Bradford College student, Dutton stood for election in Bradford South for the Bradford and Keighley Youth Parliament to address the lack of activities for young people in the area.

In 2011, he was locked up for two years for threatening to blow up the Trafalgar House police station in Nelson Street, Bradford.

The building was partially evacuated after he sent a text message saying: “Just to let you know that the police station is going to be blown up in four hours’ time. You have four hours until it goes. Bye, bye, Trafalgar House.”

The previous year, Dutton was sentenced to a community order for persistently making false communications, threatening to damage property and threatening behaviour.

The offences involved calling the police and making false claims that he had seen drug deals taking place, people being assaulted and an arson.

His barrister said he had a turbulent childhood and now exhibited attention-seeking behaviour.

Judge Robert Bartfield said then that Dutton was bored and wanted to make an impact.