An elderly couple with no links to crime or conflict lost their lives after their home was deliberately set on fire — all because of a bitter argument over a small amount of cocaine that had nothing to do with them, a court has heard.
Sheila Jackson, 83, and Eric Greener, 77, were pulled alive from their burning house but died in hospital days later, leaving a jury at Liverpool Crown Court to hear how an ordinary terraced home in St Helens became the scene of a calculated act of revenge.
A Son Steps Out, and Chaos Follows
The court was told the attack was never meant for the couple at all.
The intended victim was Mrs Jackson’s son, George Jackson, 48, who lived with them.
In a cruel twist of timing, he had popped out to the shop just minutes before the fire was started.
When he returned, the house was already engulfed.
Smoke filled the street, flames tore through the front entrance, and neighbours watched as the chaos unfolded.
Witnesses described hearing him shouting desperately for his mother, telling firefighters he had barely been gone.
The Debt That Sparked Deadly Revenge
Prosecutors say the fire was ordered by Kevin Weetman, 34, a drug dealer known on the streets as “Red Head”.
The motive, the jury heard, was pride — and money.
Weetman believed George Jackson owed him for a bag of cocaine worth between £400 and £700, supplied around a month earlier.
But Jackson disputed the claim. He told others the drugs had been given as a thank-you, not a sale, after he helped one of Weetman’s associates, Kylie Maynard, when she had been assaulted.
He had taken her to his mother’s house so she could clean up, eat and sleep safely.
When a ‘Gift’ Turned Into a Threat
The prosecution said the relationship between Jackson and the drug group soured when attempts were made to pressure him into dealing drugs himself.
When he refused, the tone shifted sharply. What had been described as a gift suddenly became a debt, and demands for payment followed.
By that point, Jackson had already used the cocaine and shared it with friends.
According to the prosecution, this was enough for Weetman to decide that his reputation in the drug world was at risk — and that action was needed to save face.
A Plan Set in Motion
Weetman allegedly recruited two low-level dealers, Lee Owens, 46, and Paul Smith, 40, to carry out the attack.
In the early hours of July 15 last year, the pair travelled to the Jackson home, waited until George Jackson had left, then poured flammable liquid over the front door and set it alight.
Prosecutor Nigel Power KC told jurors the aim was either to kill George Jackson or cause him serious harm by trapping him inside his own home.
Instead, it was his elderly mother and her partner who were caught inside.
Trapped Inside a Burning House
Neighbours described terrifying scenes shortly after 12.30am.
A woman’s high-pitched screams echoed through the street.
Mrs Jackson was seen leaning from an upstairs window, shouting for help as thick black smoke poured out below her.
In a frantic 999 call, she told operators the house was on fire and she could not breathe.
Fire crews arrived within minutes, pulling her from her upstairs bedroom.
Mr Greener was found downstairs, unconscious in a chair.
Both were alive when rescued, but badly affected by smoke inhalation.
A Race to Save Their Lives
Paramedics treated the couple at the scene before rushing them to Whiston Hospital.
Despite the efforts of emergency staff, Mr Greener died the following day.
Mrs Jackson passed away two days later, on July 17.
The court heard the couple had lived quietly in the terraced house for years and were known as kind, peaceful people.
Those who knew them said they had never had disputes with anyone.
A Chilling Admission After the Fire
In the days after the blaze, Smith and Owens travelled to a house in Anfield, Liverpool, where they met up with Maynard.
Prosecutors say she then began updating Weetman on what had happened.
The jury also heard evidence from Smith’s girlfriend, who told the court he admitted setting the house on fire.
He allegedly told her that the victim’s parents had been upstairs at the time and that Weetman had ordered the attack.
He later complained that he had not killed the “right man” and that Weetman was furious.
Smith was found dead a week after the fire.
The prosecution made clear that no defendant is accused of being responsible for his death.
What the Defendants Say
There is no dispute that the fire was deliberately started, the court heard.
Owens has admitted manslaughter but denies murder, claiming Smith lit the fire after watching George Jackson leave.
Weetman, of Aigburth, Liverpool, Owens, of no fixed address, and Maynard, of Everton, Liverpool, all deny murder.
Weetman and Maynard have admitted conspiracy to supply class A drugs.
A Trial Still Unfolding
As the trial continues, jurors are being asked to consider how a disagreement over drugs spiralled into an act of arson that claimed the lives of two innocent pensioners — people who, the prosecution says, were never meant to be part of the story at all.
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