Man accused of murdering four children in Walkden house fire pleads guilty to reckless arson charge
23-year old Zak Bolland denies four counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder.
A man accused of murdering four children has admitted a charge of reckless arson.
23-year old Zak Bolland, entered the guilty plea ahead of his trial at Manchester Crown Court.
Bolland, 20-year old Courtney Brierley, and 26--year old David Worrall, are all accused of murder over the alleged arson attack in Walkden, Greater Manchester, last year.
15-year old Demi Pearson, her eight-year-old brother Brandon and seven-year-old sister Lacie died in the blaze. Their sibling, three-year-old Lia, died in hospital two days later.
Emergency services were called to the family's mid-terraced home in Jackson Street shortly after 5am on December 11.
Bolland, wearing a dark blue Nike sweatshirt, pleaded guilty to arson, being reckless as to life being endangered. He denies all other counts against him. His two co-accused deny the same charge.
Bolland, along with the two other defendants, also all each deny four counts of murder, the attempted murder of the children's mother, Michelle Pearson, 35, and two further counts of the attempted murder of two juveniles who cannot be named for legal reasons.
Most of Monday morning's hearing dealt with legal matters that cannot be reported and a jury of five women and seven men were selected to hear the trial.
Bolland, of Blackleach Drive, Walkden, Brierley, of Worsley Avenue, Walkden, and Worrall, of no fixed abode, are all in custody.
Before dismissing the jury to reconvene for the trial to start on Tuesday, with Paul Reid QC opening the case for the prosecution, judge Mr Justice William Davis warned them to display dispassionate analysis'' of the evidence.
He said: It is a case of some significance.
Keep an open mind. It would be very easy, once you start hearing evidence, to start to get a bit emotional about it. That is something you must guard against.
Your consideration of it must be as dispassionate as possible.'