Jockeys died 'in revenge arson attack'

awhir

From ATR

A man set fire to a block of flats, killing two young jockeys, in a "revenge" attack after he was refused entry to a house party, a jury heard today.

Peter Brown "deliberately lit" the communal entrance to the block of flats in Norton, near Malton, North Yorkshire, killing apprentices Jamie Kyne, 18, and Jan Wilson, 19, Leeds Crown Court was told.

Prosecutor Richard Mansell QC said: "He committed the offence out of revenge for what he perceived was a humiliation suffered at the hands of the occupants of a first-floor flat within the same block, who had insulted him and refused him entry to a house party just three hours or so earlier."

Kyne, from Co Galway, Ireland, and Wilson, from Forfar, Scotland, were asleep in a top-floor flat when the fire took hold last September.

Brown, 37, of School Croft, Brotherton, North Yorkshire, denies two charges of murder, two charges of manslaughter and one charge of arson with intent to endanger life.

Mr Mansell told the jury how father-of-one Brown had fallen out with the occupants of flat four. The prosecutor described one incident two months before the blaze when one flat four tenant overheard Brown tell the landlord who owned the flats that he would "bloody torch the place".

Those who died in the blaze were in flat five. The tenants were Kyne and fellow jockey Ian Brennan. Wilson was Brennan's girlfriend and had been staying over on the night of the fire. A friend, Dean Pratt, had been sleeping temporarily on the sofa.

The court was told the defendant had been drinking lager and whisky and had snorted a line of cocaine on the night of the fire. He allegedly used an accelerant, possibly white spirit, to start a fire at the flats with accumulated rubbish.

Fire alarms activated and residents woke to find the complex ablaze. Many were forced to jump from windows or climb down a drainpipe as the fire took hold. Miss Wilson was seen screaming at the window as the flat "quickly became filled with smoke", the jury was told.

The two jockeys were overcome by smoke and their bodies were later recovered from the complex. Jamie Kyne was found in his bedroom and Jan Wilson's body was discovered in the living room. Both died from smoke inhalation and burns.

docmartin

so sad. thought about them on sunday when i was at my first flat meeting of the year

admiralofthefleet

terrible sad, jamie kyne would have been a top jockey

OutlawPete

Some justice today I suppose ..

http://www.rte.ie/sport/racing/2010/0520/kyne_wolson_brown.html

I still fully expect to Jamie's name alongside horses in the Racing Post everyday.

Was my favourite young jockey by a mile, would have been one of the greats.

RIP

I said

5 years today RIP