Arsonists often like to boast about what they have done, so it is no surprise someone has come forward to claim he torched the West Pier in Brighton.

We will probably never know whether this claim is genuine or not but it has enough detail to make it credible.

As the pier was not accessible by land and the attack must have been caused by arson, the only way on was from the sea.

The man who wrote to The Argus has attempted to justify his action by saying it was in protest against the invasion of Iraq and the redevelopment of the pier.

He claims it did not threaten human life or property and did not cause any harm.

But this man, whether or not he did it, is wrong on both counts. A gale could have blown burning embers from the pier on to other buildings where people were gathering.

In a single act of spite and malice, the arsonist destroyed a building that had given great pleasure to millions of people for more than a century.

Many people feel strongly about the war in Iraq. Because they live in a democracy, they have a perfect right to protest that would be denied to them under a dictatorship.

What they do not have a right to do is burn down the West Pier or trash Brighton Town Hall, the act of deliberate vandalism that occurred last month.

Far from being a hero, the West Pier arsonist is a criminal who should be brought to justice.