GUILTY UK - Michelle, 36, Demi, 14, Brandon, 8, Lacie, 7, & Lia Pearson, 3, die in arson fire, 11 Dec 2017

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15:24REBECCA DAY
It happened 'because of some s*** that was going on between them', court hears
The next witness is a man called Jacob Berry, who says he had been friends with Worrall for six or seven years.

Worrall had arranged to help Mr Berry's girlfriend move house.

On the afternoon of December 11 Mr Berry and his girlfriend picked Worrall up.

Mr Berry had seen an update from the M.E.N. app about the fire on Jackson Street.

He said he asked Worrall if he knew where Jackson Street was.

Worrall said he knew, and said he knew who had done it, jurors hear.

He said it was Bolland and Brierley, Mr Berry claims.

Mr Berry said Worrall denied being involved.

Asking him why it had happened, Mr Berry said Worrall replied 'because of some s*** that was going on between them'.

15:25REBECCA DAY
Mr Berry said he told Worrall to ring police or Crimestoppers
Mr Berry said he told Worrall to ring police or Crimestoppers.

Prosecutor Paul Reid QC asked: "Did he indicate he would go to the police, but he needed to go home and have a shower first?

"Yes," Mr Berry replied.

15:41REBECCA DAY
Mr Berry finishes giving evidence
Mr Berry has finished giving evidence, and prosecutors are reading statements in the case to the jury.

15:53REBECCA DAY
"I could hear people saying there were kids in there, and we needed to get inside"
Mr Reid is reading a statement from a firefighter who responded at the scene.

The statement read: "I could hear people saying there were kids in there, and we needed to get inside.

"I could tell it was a really bad fire.

15:54REBECCA DAY
Firefighter describes 'crying while searching for children'
The firefighter who went into the house on Jackson Street said: "I felt like I had been in there ages, but in reality I hadn't.

"I was in bits, I was just crying while searching for the children."

15:59REBECCA DAY
End of live coverage
The jury is now being sent home for the day.

LIVE: Trial of two men accused of murdering Michelle Pearson in fatal house fire
 
10:54ANDREW BARDSLEY
Trial resuming - Zak Bolland to give evidence
The jury is in court and the trial is resuming.

Prosecutors are dealing with some further matters in the trial, before they close their case.

Zak Bolland is now due to give evidence.

He is in the witness box, wearing a grey, black and white jumper.

Mr Bolland, clean shaven, who has a shaved head, is taking his affirmation.

He is now being questioned by his barrister, Mark Ford QC.

11:05ANDREW BARDSLEY
Mr Bolland says he didn't intended to harm Michelle Pearson and the four children
Mr Ford references the deaths of the four children.

He asks Mr Bolland: "Who is responsible for their deaths?"

"I am," Mr Bolland replies.

Mr Ford asks Mr Bolland: "Subsequently Michelle Pearson also died, who is responsible for her death?"

"I am," Mr Bolland replies.

"Did you intend to kill them?" asks Mr Ford.

"Never," Mr Bolland says.

"Did you intend to cause harm to them?" Mr Ford asks.

"No I didn't," Mr Bolland replies.

Mr Bolland says he accepts they died 'as a consequence of the fire set by you'.

He says he accepts he is guilty of the manslaughter of Ms Pearson and her children.

Jurors are told Mr Bolland is currently serving a life sentence.

11:09ANDREW BARDSLEY
"It eats me up every single day"
"Did you believe that anybody was in occupation at Jackson Street when the fire was started?", Mr Ford asks.

"No I didn't," says Mr Bolland.

Mr Ford continues: "What effect did you think throwing a petrol bomb into the house was likely to have?

"I just thought it was going to damage property in the kitchen," Mr Bolland says.

Mr Ford asks: "How do you feel now about the consequences of your actions that night?

"Absolutely devastated," Mr Bolland says.

Mr Ford asks: "How has the knowledge that you are responsible for the deaths of those people affected you?"

"It eats me up every single day," Mr Bolland says.

Bolland says he wakes up at night 'sweating, panicking, screaming and shouting'.

"I feel terrible to be fair," he says.

Bolland says he has made 'three serious attempts' to commit suicide since.

He says he has previously been on 'suicide watch', although he is not currently on it.

11:22ANDREW BARDSLEY
'Tit for tat' incidents prior to the fatal fire
Mr Ford is asking Mr Bolland about the 'tit for tat' incidents prior to the fatal fire.

The first being on November 26, 2017.

He said he was in bed at his mother's home in Blackleach Drive when after 4am he was woken up.

The door was on fire and his Peugeot car worth £500 had been 'burnt out', he said.

Mr Bolland said he saw 'two figures' who he claimed to be Lewis Pearson and Luke Fleming.

He claimed he had received 'all sorts of threats'.

Mr Bolland said he spoke to Kyle Pearson, who he told he wanted £500 for the car.

11:23ANDREW BARDSLEY
Mr Bolland says he believed Kyle Pearson was responsible for the damage
Mr Bolland says he thought Kyle Pearson was responsible for the damage to his car.

He said he only got the car the day before, and only a few people including him, Courtney Brierley and Kyle Pearson knew about the car.

LIVE updates as two men on trial accused of murdering Michelle Pearson
 
11:26ANDREW BARDSLEY
Mr Bolland denies sending text threatening to 'petrol bomb the house'.
Mr Bolland says he sent a text to Michelle Pearson's phone asking for 'five ton'.

He said the text was meant to be received by Lewis and Kyle Pearson, as they used their mother's phone.

He denies sending a text threatening to 'petrol bomb the house'.

LIVE updates as two men on trial accused of murdering Michelle Pearson
 
11:31ANDREW BARDSLEY
Smashed windows
Mr Bolland says he went to Jackson Street and smashed windows at the house, also in the early hours of November 26.

He says he then returned to his home and Luke Fleming and Lewis Pearson were there, who he claims were smashing windows at his home.

He claims Kyle Pearson and Bobby Harris were also there, and alleges they were all 'armed'.

Mr Bolland says his then girlfriend Courtney Brierley received a 'quite serious injury' to her face during the incident, and had to go to hospital.

LIVE updates as two men on trial accused of murdering Michelle Pearson
 
11:37ANDREW BARDSLEY
Mr Bolland argued with Michelle Pearson about a report she made to the police about him
Mr Bolland says then on December 1 he saw Ms Pearson at her home 'arguing with a taxi driver'.

He claimed Ms Pearson told him he was 'going to get four years'.

Mr Bolland said he replied by saying: "What are you on about, I've got NFA."

Jurors have heard this means no further action, in relation to a report Ms Pearson made to police about him.

LIVE updates as two men on trial accused of murdering Michelle Pearson
 
11:45ANDREW BARDSLEY
Messages were spray painted in the area calling him a 'grass' and a 'nonce'
Mr Bolland says 'threats of violence' were passed between those involved.

Mr Ford asks: "Any mention of fire?"

The defendant replies: "I don't think there was on either side at that point."

Mr Bolland accepts on December 9 he went to Jackson Street and wrote 'grass' in spray paint on the Pearson home under the front window.

Asked about being labelled a 'grass', Mr Bolland says there is a 'code of silence' in the area and anyone labelled a grass may have to leave.

Mr Bolland also accepts he set a fire in a wheelie bin at the house on the same occasion.

He says messages were spray painted in the area calling him a 'grass' and a 'nonce'.

"A load of rubbish basically," he said.

11:55ANDREW BARDSLEY
'Sleep tight it's going to get hot tonight'.
Mr Bolland claims he received a message from a woman said to be connected to the Pearsons saying 'sleep tight it's going to get hot tonight'.

He says he saw it as a reference to fire.

He said he was going to 'sleep with one eye open in case anything did happen'.

Mr Bolland says later he received a call from David Worrall, and later Mr Worrall and two other men came to his home.

12:11ANDREW BARDSLEY
Short break
The jury left for a short break, but have now returned and the trial is continuing.

12:21ANDREW BARDSLEY
Defendant told Ms Pearson to 'get Lewis and Luke outside'
Mr Bolland says they later went to Jackson Street.

He said David Worrall was with him. He claimed Mr Worrall 'started smacking the door with a metal pole'.

Mr Bolland said Ms Pearson came to the window and he told her to get 'Lewis and Luke outside'.

She said they weren't there and they left and went back to Mr Bolland's home.

Jurors are told Abigail Toone arrived at Mr Bolland's home later.

They were previously told she went there looking for her boyfriend, believing he may have been at Mr Bolland's home.

12:28ANDREW BARDSLEY
Police 'regular visitors' to the estate, defendant says
Mr Bolland said he agreed to go and have a look for Ms Toone's boyfriend.

He said they passed Jackson Street and saw a police car parked outside.

He said he saw movement in the house.

"I thought they were going to take them out of the area for the night, or until the issue was resolved basically," Mr Bolland said.

Referencing people leaving their house for the night, Mr Ford asks: "Do you know people this has happened to?"

Mr Bolland replies: "Yes."

"Do they live on your estate," the barrister asked.

"I know a few people from my mum's street, I know a few from the local area," Mr Bolland replied.

Mr Bolland claimed there was 'always trouble on the estate', including 'windows getting smashed', 'people getting beaten up' and 'people getting tasered'.

He agrees that police were 'regular visitors to this estate'.

12:40ANDREW BARDSLEY
Defendant took petrol can, axe and machete to the house
The two other men were dropped off and back at Mr Bolland's house were him, Mr Worrall, Ms Brierley and Abigail Toone.

Mr Bolland said they were speaking in the house about the 'tit for tat incidents'.

He said he had kept a vodka bottle which he claimed was used in the fire at Mr Bolland's home on November 26.

He claimed Mr Worrall said something like 'why don't you do to them what was done to you'.

Mr Bolland says he said 'shall we do it' and claimed Mr Worrall said 'yeah I'll do it'.

Mr Bolland says he took a petrol can, and an axe to 'smash the windows'.

He said he gave the axe to Mr Worrall.

He said he took a machete which he had as a 'deterrent'.

Mr Bolland says they went to a petrol station in Ms Toone's car.

12:48ANDREW BARDSLEY
Petrol poured into vodka and beer bottle
He said he and Mr Worrall went to the petrol station and Mr Bolland filled the petrol can with £1.50 worth of petrol.

They returned to Mr Bolland's home.

Courtney Brierley went to the toilet.

Mr Bolland and Mr Worrall went to the kitchen area.

Mr Bolland poured petrol into a vodka bottle.

He claimed Mr Worrall said 'is that one mine?'.

"I realised he wanted one," Mr Bolland said.

He said petrol was then poured into a Budweister bottle.

They left in Abigail Toone's car.

Asked by his barrister 'what was his plan', Mr Bolland said it was to 'damage property'.

LIVE updates as two men on trial accused of murdering Michelle Pearson
 
13:25KEY EVENT
Defendant on moment he threw petrol bomb into home
Mr Bolland, Mr Worrall and Ms Brierley were in the car which was driven by Ms Toone to Jackson Street.

After parking, Mr Bolland said he had a bottle in one hand and a machete in the other.

He said Mr Worrall had an axe in one hand and a bottle in the other.

Mr Bolland said he removed a fence panel at the rear of the house on Jackson Street.

He said Mr Worrall smashed a window with an axe.

He said he lit Mr Worrall's bottle, and Mr Worrall then threw it.

Mr Bolland said he then threw his bottle.

"I didn't think Dave's had broken at all. I thought I'm going to have to throw mine a little bit harder."

He claimed he aimed to throw it into the kitchen area.

But jurors are told it went through a gap in between the kitchen and the living room.

Mr Bolland said he thought it would 'maybe intensify' and cause a 'little bit of damage'.

He said: "The fire station was only up the road, I thought in that time they will be there and it will be over."

13:27ANDREW BARDSLEY
Defendant 'totally devastated' after seeing fire killed children
Mr Bolland says he later put the news on and saw there had been a fatal fire.

He said 'straight away my heart ripped out of my insides', and said 'what have I done'.

He said he later arranged to hand himself in to police.

Mr Bolland denies he wanted to kill or harm anyone in the house.

He said he wanted to damage a 'specific room'.

Asked to look back to his actions in December 2017, he says: "It was the wrong thing to do.

"I should have been the bigger person and walked away.

"I am totally devastated about it."

The jury has now left court for lunch.

LIVE updates as two men on trial accused of murdering Michelle Pearson
 
14:38ANDREW BARDSLEY
Defendant denies sending message saying 'I will petrol bomb your house'
The jury are back in court, and Bolland is being cross-examined by Benjamin Myers QC, Worrall's barrister.

Mr Myers says Bolland had 'dragged' Worrall into his business.

Bolland said: "He involved himself but I do feel responsible for that.

"He chose to do what he wanted to do."

Bolland claims Worrall 'was the one that suggested' the fire attack.

He claimed earlier that Worrall said something like 'why don't you do to them what was done to you'.

Mr Myers puts it to Bolland that he had 'fire on your mind' in relation to Jackson Street, saying that he set fire to a wheelie bin at the property.Bolland denies this.

He also denies making threats to throw a petrol bomb at the house.

Ms Pearson said she received a message from Bolland saying 'I will petrol bomb your house tonight'.

Bolland denies sending the message.

14:48ANDREW BARDSLEY
Mr Bolland admits 'kind of' his idea to make petrol bombs
"The idea of making them (petrol bombs), it was your idea wasn't it," Mr Myers asks.

"Kind of, yeah," Bolland replies.

Mr Myers puts it to Bolland that he threw both bottles, which he denies.

He puts it to Bolland that the intention of throwing the bottles was to 'frighten' the Pearsons.

"That's not true," Bolland says.

"If he (Worrall) thought the house was occupied, he should have said," he added.

15:06ANDREW BARDSLEY
Bolland 'assumed' house would be empty
Bolland is being asked about his claim that he believed the house to be empty.

He says he thought the family were being taken away from the property on Jackson Street by police following the incident earlier.

Mr Myers said: "You didn't see anything which looked like people being taken into police custody did you?"

"I just assumed it really," he said.

Mr Myers adds: "You had invented the idea they were going into police custody to try and support what you say about the house being empty."

"That's not correct," says Bolland.

Bolland accepts he tipped the petrol into the bottles, he claims Worrall held the bottle for him.Bolland previously claimed Worrall said 'is that one mine?' after he poured one bottle.

Mr Myers claims this was 'made up to put the bottle into his (Worrall's) hand'.

"I've got no reason to lie," Bolland says.

LIVE updates as two men on trial accused of murdering Michelle Pearson
 
15:39ANDREW BARDSLEY
'You didn't believe for a minute they were going to leave', prosecution says
Bolland is now being cross-examined by prosecutor Paul Reid QC.

He's being asked about a comment he said he made while in Abigail Toone's car, when she drove past the house on Jackson Street.

Bolland says he said that the police would be taking the Pearson family into 'protection'.

Mr Reid asks: "Not only didn't you say to them that the Pearsons were going to be taken into protection, you didn't believe for a minute that they were going to leave did you?"

Bolland says: "Course, that's the type of thing that happens on the estate."

15:59ANDREW BARDSLEY
Prosecution continues cross-examination of defendant
Mr Reid puts it to Bolland: "In reality there are no examples of a situation like this where the family are going to be taken into protection.

"Because it just doesn't happen in the way in which you described."

Bolland says: "It certainly does happen."

Mr Reid says: "The reason for you going past Jackson Street wasn't just idle curiosity, you were going there to have a look to see if it was safe to go back again weren't you?"

Bolland says: "No, that's not the case at all."

16:11ANDREW BARDSLEY
Trial concluded for the day
The jury are now being sent home for the day.

LIVE updates as two men on trial accused of murdering Michelle Pearson
 
Legally Bland said:
15:59ANDREW BARDSLEY
Prosecution continues cross-examination of defendant
Mr Reid puts it to Bolland: "In reality there are no examples of a situation like this where the family are going to be taken into protection.

"Because it just doesn't happen in the way in which you described."

Bolland says: "It certainly does happen."
Click to expand...

RSBM

The arrogance of the man to argue that point, like the prosecutor wouldn't have check that. This trial is getting me angry again!
 
10:07TODD FITZGERALD
Trial resumes
The jury are back in court and the trial is resuming.

Zak Borrall is in the witness box for a second day.

Prosecutor Paul Reid QC is continuing to cross-examine him.

10:22TODD FITZGERALD
Questioning of Bolland resumes
Mr Reid is asking Bolland about an incident in the early hours of December 11, when he visited Jackson Street at around 12.40am, before returning later.

Mr Reid puts it to Bolland that he went round because he expected Kyle Pearson to be there.

"You just expected him to be at home at that time, isn't that the position?"

Bolland replies: "That's not true."

Mr Reid continues: "You were going there to fight and injure him, weren't you?"

"No, I was going there to confront Lewis [Pearson] and Luke [Fleming] and to an extent Kyle," Bolland replies.

"If there needed to be, there would have been a fist fight."

10:26TODD FITZGERALD
Bolland denies threatening to 'kill them all'
Mr Reid puts it to Bolland that he threatened to 'do your house' when he went to Jackson Street.

Bolland replied: "That's not something I would say."

Prosecutors have alleged Bolland threatened to 'kill them all'.

Bolland says: "That's definitely not true. No, it's fabricated that."

10:31TODD FITZGERALD
Defendant asked whether there was a sense of 'unfinished business'
Jurors have heard Bolland, who was with Worrall at the time, left after Michelle Pearson pretended to record them on a camera phone.

Mr Reid asks Bolland whether there was a sense of 'unfinished business' when he returned home.

"Not massively, but a little bit, yes," he replies.

10:38TODD FITZGERALD
Bolland says he wasn't 'massively high' at the time
Bolland says he agrees he had been drinking and had taken cocaine.

"Even by the time of dropping the two men off, you were high on drugs and alcohol?," Mr Reid asks.

Bolland says: "Not massively high, but yeah."

10:53TODD FITZGERALD
'I could be selfish and not attend this, I could plead guilty and not give the answers they need'
Mr Reid puts it to Bolland: "You are hoping that even if it is the faintest possibility, this jury finds you not guilty of murder, you can use that to try and undermine the original conviction, which you are serving a life sentence for."

"That's not true," Bolland says.

Mr Reid adds: "You are putting the family of Michelle Pearson through this all again for your own selfish reasons."

Bolland says: "That's not true at all.

"I could be selfish and not attend this, I could plead guilty and not give the answers they need."

He adds: "I have got nothing to gain from this."

11:11TODD FITZGERALD
'We knew we were going to start a fire'
Mr Reid asks: "When you decided to go for petrol, had you made your mind up what you were going to do with the petrol?"

Bolland says: "Yes, we knew we were going to start a fire."

11:15TODD FITZGERALD
Court takes a break
The jury is leaving court for a short break.

11:42TODD FITZGERALD
Hearing resumes as Bolland asked: "What did you think was going to happen when you threw two petrol bombs at this house?"
The jury is back.

Mr Reid asks: "What did you think was going to happen when you threw two petrol bombs at this house?"

Bolland said it was 'just going to be a relatively small fire, and the fire brigade would put it out'.


LIVE updates as two men on trial accused of murdering Michelle Pearson
 
11:53TODD FITZGERALD
Questioning continues
Mr Reid asks: "If you were only intending to cause some damage to the property, you didn't actually need a petrol bomb do you?"

"There was other ways I could have done it, yeah," Bolland says.

12:00TODD FITZGERALD
'You knew that normally sleeping there would be a family with young children'
Mr Reid says: "You knew that normally sleeping there would be a family with young children."

Bolland says: "Yes, normally, that wasn't a normal night."

12:02TODD FITZGERALD
'I started a fire I didn't intend to start', defendant says
Bolland says he agrees he didn't make any checks to see if there was anyone in the house at Jackson Street.

"No, I made the assumption," he says.

Mr Reid says 'anyone inside the house would be very lucky to survive' the fire.

"Yeah, because obviously I started a fire I didn't intend to start," Bolland says.

12:08TODD FITZGERALD
Bolland says he and Worrall were on 'different pages'
Bolland says he and Worrall were on 'different pages'.

Jurors have heard Worrall says he believed the intention was to 'scare' people, while Bolland says his intention was to damage property.

Bolland says: "No matter what he is saying, nobody intended to cause any harm."

12:29TODD FITZGERALD
'They would be lucky to survive, but it didn't mean that I have intended to hurt anybody'
Bolland says David Worrall threw the first petrol bomb.

He says he 'didn't think it had done anything' and he didn't see a 'flash' captured on CCTV footage.

Bolland admits throwing the second one.

Mr Reid says: "Even on your own intention, to cause damage to the kitchen, if there was one in there they would be lucky to survive."

Bolland says: "They would be lucky to survive, but it didn't mean that I have intended to hurt anybody."

LIVE updates as two men on trial accused of murdering Michelle Pearson
 
12:34TODD FITZGERALD
Bolland says Worrall 'lost all his colour'
Bolland says after they went back to Abigail Toone's car, Worrall said 'that was real weren't it?'.

Ms Toone claimed Worrall said it 'like he enjoyed it'.

Bolland disputes this, saying Worrall had 'lost all his colour.'

12:43TODD FITZGERALD
'I didn't think it was going to be massive, nobody did'
Mr Reid says: "You thought that these two petrol bombs that you and David Worrall had thrown in there, was all going to be put out within a few minutes with just a bit of damage?

Bolland says: "Yes, just the kitchen, yes.

"I didn't think it was going to be massive, nobody did."

LIVE updates as two men on trial accused of murdering Michelle Pearson
 
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