Youth pleads guilty to arson on the Rock

A 19-year-old man has admitted starting a fire at a flat in the Mid Harbour Estate on 10 December 2024 which hospitalised five family members and killed their dog.

Spanish national Juan Francisco Sánchez Valenzuela pleaded guilty on Wednesday to one count of arson with intent to endanger life.

The teenager will be sentenced in April pending a psychiatric and pre-sentencing report.