Blaze flats owner tells of 'wild man' tenant

A MAN accused of starting a fire in a block of flats in which two apprentice jockeys died, was described as behaving like "a wild man from Borneo" as the blaze spread.

Alan Foster, the owner of the flats at Buckrose Court, in Norton, near Malton, told Leeds Crown Court yesterday he was outside the premises near a young man who had escaped the fire and was lying dazed and bleeding on the ground, when he saw Peter Brown.

"I started taking a lot of verbal abuse off him," he said.

He told Richard Mansell, prosecuting, that Brown's hair was all over the place "his eyes were bulging, he was screaming like a wild man of Borneo, basically he was going absolutely berserk".

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"Peter said 'you're f...ed now Foster, I told you this would happen'."

He said Brown complained to him that evening about noise from people in flat four and had told him "something" was going to kick off that night. "I expected him to mean a fight or something but not a fire."

He told the court Brown was running round shouting "fire". Later when the emergency services arrived he had an argument with a young policeman or fireman, accusing them of not doing their job.

"Two policeman pulled him away, an older one came over and told him to calm down you'll be arrested if you don't behave," said Mr Foster.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The fire killed Jamie Kyne, 18, from Co Galway and Jan Watson, 19, from Forfar, Scotland, who died in a second-floor flat.

The prosecution claims a drunken Brown started the blaze deliberately after being refused entry to the party in flat four earlier that night.

Brown, 37, denies the murders of Mr Kyne and Miss Watson, alternative charges of manslaughter, and arson being reckless whether life was endangered on September 5 last year.

Mr Foster said the flats and an adjoining block where Brown lived had been converted initially for sale but because of the financial climate a decision was made to rent them out instead.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Having previously lived in one of his bedsits nearby, Brown took on cleaning and caretaking duties, moving into one of the new flats in March last year.

Brown had taken 50 a week from rents he collected for the work but that was terminated last August when a lot of the bedsits were empty while work was done on them. "He was okay, he was fine about it," Mr Foster said. He had also got Brown some work with a builder.

Mr Foster told the court Brown had some problems with the two girl tenants in flat four, complaining about noise, and a girl who had stayed with them had complained about Brown sending her text messages.

At one stage Brown claimed to have overheard a telephone call by someone in that flat ordering drugs but Mr Foster said he did not take it seriously.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

On the evening of September 4, Brown complained again about noise from flat four. Mr Foster said he could hear no music only people talking.

At 12.30 am every flat but one was in total darkness.

The trial continues.

Related topics: