THE man accused of starting a fire which killed two trainee jockeys was seen wielding a large knife on the night of the blaze, a jury has heard.

Giving evidence at the trial of 37-year-old Peter William Brown at Leeds Crown Court yesterday (Tuesday), neighbour Andrew Colgan said he saw Brown in the early hours of September 5 last year in Buckrose Court, Norton, where both men lived.

Mr Colgan, who had his young son Alex staying with him that night in his top floor flat, said he was woken by the sound of a door shutting. A few minutes later he heard fire alarms going off.

He said: “I got up to investigate and heard something banging from down below. It was like someone hitting a door.

“I opened the door and went onto the landing. I looked down and could see Pete – he had a weight-lifting bar in his hand. He was banging it off the door jamb.

“As I asked him what he was doing I reached up to take the cover off the fire alarm to take the battery out. When I looked down again he had a knife in his hand. It was about 10 inches long with a rounded end and a burgundy handle.”

Mr Colgan said that Brown, now of School Croft, Brotherton, then moved to go upstairs so Mr Colgan went back into his flat and locked the door. Moments later he heard banging on the door but did not answer it.

He said Brown had appeared “angry”.

Paul Watson, defending, told the jury Mr Colgan had given seven statements to the police and each one was slightly different. Suggesting that Mr Colgan’s version of events was unreliable, Mr Watson proposed that he had never seen Brown wielding a knife. Mr Colgan denied this and stated that he had.

Another neighbour, Martin Brown, who is no relation of the accused, said he remembered being in the courtyard once the alarms had gone off.

At the time he was momentarily looking after Mr Colgan’s son.

He said: “There was a huge thud as someone had jumped out [of the burning building] and landed at our feet.”

The man in question, Dean Pratt, survived the fall and was taken to hospital.

Mr Brown also said he saw Peter Brown break down the door to the burning block of flats and made as if to run in but was stopped by the police. Mr Brown said flames were coming out of the top of the door.

Peter William Brown is accused of murdering 19-year-old Jan Wilson and 18-year-old Jamie Kyne in the fire. He also faces alternative charges of manslaughter and arson with intent to endanger life. He denies all the charges and the trial continues.