Prestatyn house fire murder trial: Drunk neighbour 'torched flat and killed family of five in rage over pram in hallway'
Prestatyn house fire murder trial: Drunk neighbour 'torched flat and killed family of five in rage over pram in hallway'
The fire ripped through the first-floor flat killing mum, her partner, her son, her nephew and her niece
Victims: Bailey Allen and Skye Allen and Charlie Timbrell
PA
A neighbour killed five people by torching their flat in a drunken rage over a pram left in a shared hallway, a court heard today.Melanie Smith set light to the home of Lee Anna Shiers, 20, who died along with her 15-month-old son Charlie, nephew Bailey, four, niece Skye, two, and partner Liam Trimbell, 23, jurors were told. Days before the blaze she had also accused her boyfriend Stephen Clarkson of having a fling with Lee Anna, who lived upstairs from the couple.Smith allegedly threatened several times to burn the home down after a string of bust-ups over noise from the flat and Lee Anna’s habit of leaving cigarette butts outside the accused’s door.And the 43-year-old had been heard rowing with Stephen, 45, in a bar where, jurors heard, she yelled: “You’re s******g the woman upstairs. I will burn the house down with her and the kids in it.” The court heard the 43-year-old flipped after a boozing session on October 19 when she came home to find Charlie’s pram in the hallway.
Victim: Lee-Anna Shiers
North Wales Police
Incensed, she allegedly set light to it and the blaze took hold, ripping up the stairs that led to Lee Anna’s flat. As the fire raged, terrified Liam dialled 999 and yelled: “Help, help! Someone has put it … on purpose, we’re inside the flat.” Members of his family sat in the public gallery wept as they listened to the harrowing tape. Neighbour Joe Shelley told how he heard the young dad scream: “Oh my God, oh my God, we’re going to die!” Mr Clarkson, who lived with Smith, climbed out of a window yelling: “There’s kids upstairs, get the kids.”Another neighbour, Mike Dykes, spotted the accused sitting opposite the burning home with a blanket wrapped around her. The court heard when Mr Clarkson asked Smith how many children were inside the inferno, she snapped back: “How the f*** do I know?. She has everyone up there.”
Scene: The fire damage at the flats in Prestatyn
PA
Prosecutor Ian Murphy QC told jurors: “The prosecution say the fire was deliberately started by the defendant who had been drinking heavily that day and who, over a period of about two months leading up to October 19, had demonstrated anger and hostility towards Lee Anna and also jealousy of her.“It is the prosecution case that on a number of occasions the defendant made threats to or about Lee Anna that she would ‘see your house on fire with you and your kids in it’.” Liam and Charlie were rescued from the blaze at Prestatyn, North Wales but died later in hospital.McDonald’s worker Liam managed to speak to paramedics at the scene, despite his horrific burns. He begged: “The babies, are the babies okay?”The court heard he also said: “It was Mel. She said, ‘I’m going to burn the house down.’ She was shouting through the letterbox.” When police later spoke to Smith, she denied any involvement. She told officers: “One minute I was sitting in the lounge and the next I saw smoke coming from underneath the flat door, so I went to the bedroom and woke up my flatmate told him there was a fire and we climbed out the bedroom window.
“I hurt my arm while climbing.”
Harrowing: Fire crews at the scene
Mr Murphy told the court: “The prosecution submit this is a significant lie and an attempt to portray herself as a victim rather than the perpetrator of the fire.” On the day of the killings, jurors, were told, landlord Jay Liptrot called to the property to be met with a tirade from Smith about Lee Anna. She allegedly described her as a “scruffy, dirty bitch”. Hours later, she told a barmaid at her local pub she “hated the girl”, Mold crown court heard. Along with five counts of murder, the 43-year-old is also accused of threatening to burn down the home of Samantha Schofield, who she claimed had an affair with Mr Clarkson. She told Samantha’s sister Amy she had almost set light to the house one night last August but was unable to carry out the attack as she was drunk, jurors heard.The court was told Mr Clarkson’s car was also vandalised. The windscreen wipers were bent and wing mirrors kicked. Pink milkshake had been thrown at the vehicle and around 20 matches were recovered outside Smith’s front gates while a matchbox was found underneath the motor.
Smith denies murder and destroying property.
The fire ripped through the first-floor flat killing mum, her partner, her son, her nephew and her niece
Victims: Bailey Allen and Skye Allen and Charlie Timbrell
PA
A neighbour killed five people by torching their flat in a drunken rage over a pram left in a shared hallway, a court heard today.Melanie Smith set light to the home of Lee Anna Shiers, 20, who died along with her 15-month-old son Charlie, nephew Bailey, four, niece Skye, two, and partner Liam Trimbell, 23, jurors were told. Days before the blaze she had also accused her boyfriend Stephen Clarkson of having a fling with Lee Anna, who lived upstairs from the couple.Smith allegedly threatened several times to burn the home down after a string of bust-ups over noise from the flat and Lee Anna’s habit of leaving cigarette butts outside the accused’s door.And the 43-year-old had been heard rowing with Stephen, 45, in a bar where, jurors heard, she yelled: “You’re s******g the woman upstairs. I will burn the house down with her and the kids in it.” The court heard the 43-year-old flipped after a boozing session on October 19 when she came home to find Charlie’s pram in the hallway.
Victim: Lee-Anna Shiers
North Wales Police
Incensed, she allegedly set light to it and the blaze took hold, ripping up the stairs that led to Lee Anna’s flat. As the fire raged, terrified Liam dialled 999 and yelled: “Help, help! Someone has put it … on purpose, we’re inside the flat.” Members of his family sat in the public gallery wept as they listened to the harrowing tape. Neighbour Joe Shelley told how he heard the young dad scream: “Oh my God, oh my God, we’re going to die!” Mr Clarkson, who lived with Smith, climbed out of a window yelling: “There’s kids upstairs, get the kids.”Another neighbour, Mike Dykes, spotted the accused sitting opposite the burning home with a blanket wrapped around her. The court heard when Mr Clarkson asked Smith how many children were inside the inferno, she snapped back: “How the f*** do I know?. She has everyone up there.”
Scene: The fire damage at the flats in Prestatyn
PA
Prosecutor Ian Murphy QC told jurors: “The prosecution say the fire was deliberately started by the defendant who had been drinking heavily that day and who, over a period of about two months leading up to October 19, had demonstrated anger and hostility towards Lee Anna and also jealousy of her.“It is the prosecution case that on a number of occasions the defendant made threats to or about Lee Anna that she would ‘see your house on fire with you and your kids in it’.” Liam and Charlie were rescued from the blaze at Prestatyn, North Wales but died later in hospital.McDonald’s worker Liam managed to speak to paramedics at the scene, despite his horrific burns. He begged: “The babies, are the babies okay?”The court heard he also said: “It was Mel. She said, ‘I’m going to burn the house down.’ She was shouting through the letterbox.” When police later spoke to Smith, she denied any involvement. She told officers: “One minute I was sitting in the lounge and the next I saw smoke coming from underneath the flat door, so I went to the bedroom and woke up my flatmate told him there was a fire and we climbed out the bedroom window.
“I hurt my arm while climbing.”
Harrowing: Fire crews at the scene
Mr Murphy told the court: “The prosecution submit this is a significant lie and an attempt to portray herself as a victim rather than the perpetrator of the fire.” On the day of the killings, jurors, were told, landlord Jay Liptrot called to the property to be met with a tirade from Smith about Lee Anna. She allegedly described her as a “scruffy, dirty bitch”. Hours later, she told a barmaid at her local pub she “hated the girl”, Mold crown court heard. Along with five counts of murder, the 43-year-old is also accused of threatening to burn down the home of Samantha Schofield, who she claimed had an affair with Mr Clarkson. She told Samantha’s sister Amy she had almost set light to the house one night last August but was unable to carry out the attack as she was drunk, jurors heard.The court was told Mr Clarkson’s car was also vandalised. The windscreen wipers were bent and wing mirrors kicked. Pink milkshake had been thrown at the vehicle and around 20 matches were recovered outside Smith’s front gates while a matchbox was found underneath the motor.
Smith denies murder and destroying property.