Yorkshire jockey fire death accused 'drunk and angry'

Peter Brown is accused of lighting a fire in the entrance to the flats

A survivor of a flat fire which killed two jockeys has told a court how the man accused of murder was seen outside looking "drunk and angry".

Jamie Kyne, 18, from County Galway, Irish Republic, and Jan Wilson, 19, from Forfar in Angus, died in the fire near Malton, North Yorkshire.

Christopher Crosby escaped the fire and said Peter Brown was pacing up and down outside blaming someone else.

Mr Brown, 37, of Brotherton, North Yorkshire, denies two murder charges.

Mr Crosby told Leeds Crown Court he and his girlfriend Leonie Lenaghan, who both lived in the flat below the one in which the jockeys died, went to the front of the block after jumping to safety and found a number of people had gathered, including Mr Brown.

It was as if he was trying to pin the blame to someone

Witness Christopher Crosby

He said: "(Brown) was pacing up and down. He looked angry and drunk as well."

Mr Crosby said Mr Brown was talking to himself and, asked what he was saying, he continued: "I remember him saying 'Someone's done this'."

He told the court Mr Brown probably said this twice and added: "It was as if he was trying to pin the blame to someone."

Miss Lenaghan told the jury she did not know about Mr Kyne's death until Mr Brown mentioned it.

"Pete said we should be talking about Jamie because he's dead. It was horrible the way he said it to us."

The court had earlier heard that a drunken Mr Brown set fire to the complex in the early hours of 5 September as an act of "revenge" after he was refused entry to a party in one of the flats.

Mr Brown also denies two alternative charges of manslaughter and one charge of arson with intent to endanger life.

The trial continues.