Jury told row led to arson A jilted girlfriend tried to torch her ex-lover's house after discovering he had found another woman, a court heard.

Lucy Kionga, of Argyle Street, east Oxford, had remained friends with Jimmy Gikory after the couple split up in 1998 and had hoped they would get back together.

But, Oxford Crown Court heard yesterday, when she went to see him at his house in Banbury Road, Kidlington, in January this year she came face to face with Mr Gikory's new girlfriend.

There was an argument between Kionga, 36, and Mr Gikory, in which she became very upset. Eventually her brother, who had gone to the house with her, intervened and the pair left.

But later that night, Mr Gikory told the court, Kionga returned and began banging on his door while he and his girlfriend Esther Mahushi were in the sitting room.

He refused to answer the door and after a while saw Kionga returning to her car. Mr Gikory said he then went back into the sitting room where he heard a tapping noise near the front door in the porch.

He told the jury: "Then I saw some fire and smelt some smoke from the house.

"I went to see and found some flames."

The court heard he immediately threw water on the flames and the fire was put out before fire crews arrived.

The blaze caused about £400 of damage.

A match was found in the porch, along with a full petrol can, which Mr Gikory kept there.

Kionga denies a charge of arson and being reckless as to whether life would be endangered.

She told police she had been smoking heavily at the house. She said a cigarette could have been knocked from her hand while she was there.

Basil Hillman, prosecuting, told the court no cigarette butts were found in the porch, and Mr Gikory did not smoke.

The case continues.

Story date: Thursday 29 April

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