Drugs 'boss' denies arson attack double murder in St Helens
An elderly couple died after the attack
A drug "boss" has denied being behind the double murder of an elderly couple in a botched night-time arson attack on their home.
Sheila Jackson, 83, and her partner, Eric Greener, 77, suffered fatal injuries in the blaze last July at their terraced house in South John Street, St Helens, Merseyside.
Both died in hospital from burns and smoke inhalation.
But the alleged intended target, Ms Jackson's son, George Jackson, was out at the time of the attack, Liverpool Crown Court heard.
The court has heard Lee Owens, 46, and another man, Paul Smith, 40, who has since died, travelled from Liverpool to St Helens to start the fire, just after 12.30pm on July 15 2025.
They were allegedly "put up" to carry out the attack by Liverpool-based drug dealer, Kevin Weetman, 34, with the help of one of his drug sellers, Kylie Maynard, 37.
Weetman and Maynard deny that they had anything to do with the fire.
Weetman, giving evidence from the witness box, told the jury: "I weren't committing murders. I'm a drug dealer."
He said he only found out about the fire from Maynard later.
Nigel Power KC, prosecuting, told him: "We don't accept, the prosecution don't accept, you only found out about the murders two or three days later, I don't want you living in that dream world."
The prosecutor said the fire was set at 12.31am and doorbell footage showed 23 minutes later Owens and Smith had raced back to a house on Thirlmere Road, in the Anfield area of Liverpool, where Kylie Maynard was also present.
Mr Power continued: "Within three minutes of them getting back into the house, Kylie has tried to ring you seven times.
"So, within one hour of them getting back from having set fire to a house of someone you know, Kylie tried to call you 19 or 20 times. "Did you think, 'I wonder what's that about?'"
Weetman said he was asleep at the time of the calls and the call patterns to his phone were not unusual and were all to do with his drug dealing activities, adding: "It's a drug phone, not a murder phone."
Mr Power continued: "They have done it under your orders. They are phoning the boss?"
Weetman replied: "If I had sent them up there, I would've said don't contact me. I'm not stupid."
Mr Power replied: "But they might be."
After Weetman's arrest, Mr Power suggested he lied to police, denying he was a drug dealer and suggesting instead he was a desperate "smackhead" or "junkie".
Mr Power said: "You are not a smackhead are you? You are not like the people you employ, are you? What you are actually doing is lying to create a false defence on the charges of murder."
Weetman replied: "The murders have got nothing to do with me. I don't burn people's houses, especially with old people in there."
The jury has heard Weetman had offered George Jackson, whose mother and stepfather died in the blaze, a job selling drugs, which he had refused and there had been a disagreement over drugs.
Mr Power suggested a loss of "face" then led Weetman to plan to attack Jackson and to get Smith and Owens to torch the house.
Owens has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Mr Greener and Ms Jackson but claims he intended only to damage the house.
Both Weetman and Maynard have pleaded guilty to conspiring together to supply cocaine between November 2024 and September 2025, but deny any involvement in the fire.
All three defendants deny murder.
The trial continues.