'Drunken Scotsman' guilty of killing teenage jockeys in fireball attack

The relatives of Jan Wilson, 19, from Forfar, and Jamie Kyne, 18, said Peter Brown had robbed the families of "two wonderful young people who had so much to live for".

Brown, 37, originally from Aberdeenshire, was cleared of murder but found guilty of the manslaughter of the jockeys following a 16-day trial at Leeds Crown Court.

The jury heard Brown set light to a block of flats at Buckrose Court in Norton, North Yorkshire, in a drunken revenge attack.

The blaze ripped through the block killing Mr Kyne, from Kiltrogue, Co Galway, Ireland, and Miss Wilson.

The court heard Brown torched the complex after he was refused entry to a party in one of the flats last September.

Jan Wilson's mother Margaret Wilson paid tribute to her daughter after the guilty verdict, saying: "She was a dream come true for us, and a gift which we were privileged to enjoy for 19 years. We are so very proud of Jan and all her achievements all through her short but full life, and thank all those who helped her get there and made her into the girl we miss so much.

"Any punishment won't be enough for the loss and suffering of Jamie, Jan and all their family and friends.

"At least he can't take away our memories."

Brown, who looked straight at the jury foreman as the verdicts were delivered, was also acquitted of arson with intent to endanger life.

Friends and relatives of the two victims said "yes" as the manslaughter verdicts were delivered and comforted each other in the public gallery.

The jury heard that Brown – who had a long-standing problem with drink – worked as a caretaker in the flats complex and had a prickly relationship with the women who lived in the flat where the party was taking place.

The two jockeys slept on the floor above where the party had been. The jury was told that a drunken Brown used white spirit to set light to rubbish in the stairwell after he returned from a drinking session in local pubs in the early hours of 5 September.

The fire quickly took hold as the stairwell acted like a chimney. Residents had to jump for their lives from windows or climb down drainpipes to escape.

Miss Wilson and Mr Kyne were trapped at the top of the building.

Mr Kyne lived in the flat with fellow jockey Ian Brennan. Miss Wilson was Brennan's girlfriend and had been staying over.

Mrs Justice Nicola Davies adjourned sentence for the completion of a pre-sentence report.

Following the verdict, the jockeys' families issued a joint statement.

It said: "Peter Brown has robbed us of two wonderfully young people who had so much to live for.

"When Jan and Jamie died, a part of each one of us died with them. He has left us all shattered and our lives will never be the same again.

"We are pleased that he has now been held accountable for the devastating events of last September, however no punishment will ever bring Jan and Jamie back.

"They have both been denied a great future and lifestyle in a sport they loved so much and had triumphed in.

"Brown may have taken away Jan and Jamie but he cannot take away our memories."

The killer

Odd-job man with a private life in turmoil

FIRESTARTER Peter Brown had a troubled personal life, suffered with alcohol problems and was, by his own admission, an archetypal "drunken Scotsman".

Brown, a 37-year-old father of one, labelled himself as such in police interviews after he was arrested following the deaths of promising young jockeys Jamie Kyne, 18, and Jan Wilson, 19.

The arsonist, who is originally from the Aberdeen area, lived in the flats complex where the promising jockeys were trapped, though in a different block. He worked as a labourer for a builder but had also acted as a caretaker at the flats for owner Alan Foster.

Brown initially lived in one of the bedsits in Buckrose House until work was completed on the flats, which Mr Foster built from an old tannery two years ago. He had worked as a labourer and delivery driver on the site.

After it was completed, Brown moved in and began doing odd jobs and performing other tasks for Mr Foster, such as delivering the post, for 50 a week.

Before this, Brown had lived in nearby Malton but he moved to Norton after he split from his wife Javeira in 2006.

The couple have a young son who would often stay with Brown at his flat.

The court heard that Brown's drinking was part of the reason his relationship with his wife broke up.

The jury in the trial heard that he had been convicted of an offence of sending obscene or menacing text messages to his wife in 2006 following an "incident" which was not explained.

The victims

Horse fanatic aiming to do her best

JAN Wilson wrote on her Bebo page that her aim was "to be a successful jockey and do my best at everything I do in life".

The 19-year-old, who grew up on her family's farm in Forfar, Angus, joined the British Racing School in Newmarket in 2007.

From there she moved to Ferdy Murphy's yard at Leyburn, North Yorkshire, and later started as an apprentice at David Barron's yard in Thirsk, also in North Yorkshire.

Four weeks before her death she enjoyed her third adult victory at Ayr racecourse, winning the six-furlong apprentice handicap race on her own horse, Imperial Sword. Her mother, Margaret, watched her daughter win the race and said afterwards that it had been "a special day" for the family.

When Jan became an apprentice jockey at Mr Barron's stables in Thirsk she said she had "the best job in the world".

A former pupil of Chapelpark Primary School in Angus and Forfar Academy, the promising youngster had an early passion for horses. As soon as she was old enough to leave school, she headed south for the nine-week course at the British Racing School.

A young man who was born to ride

JAMIE Kyne, 18, was born into the racing industry. His family ran a stud farm in Co Galway in the Republic of Ireland and he was a rising star in the sport.

He rode his first winner in December 2007 and rode to 29 victories last year, including the 40,000 sportingbet.com Sprint at York.

He claimed his last winner at Beverley racecourse in Yorkshire when Malton-based trainer John Quinn's Duchess Dora landed a five-furlong sprint on 30 August, in the week he died. He had been tipped to be crowned apprentice jockey of the year.

Mr Kyne was apprenticed to Mr Quinn, who described the jockey's death as "devastating". He said: "Jamie had been with us about 18 months. He was a great little lad and a very good young rider, who had a great attitude to his work and his riding. He had a good career ahead of him."

Addressing the congregation at Mr Kyne's funeral, Racing Post journalist Tom O'Ryan said: "Somebody once said that jockeys are born, not made.

"Whoever that somebody was, he could have been talking directly and personally about Jamie Kyne. He was a young man born to ride."