Convicted fraudster Sundar Khutan grassed on his pals when he discovered two youngsters had died in an arson attack, a court heard.

Anum Khan, nine, died in the blaze at her home in Magdalen Road, Oxford, during the early hours of August 26 last year. Her brother Majid, 15, died two days later.

Birmingham Crown Court has heard how two white teenagers and four Asians plotted to firebomb the terraced home once the Khan family had gone to bed.

Alan Swanton and Thomas Liedl, both 18, started the blaze by squirting petrol through the letterbox and lighting it, the jury has been told.

Yesterday Mr Khutan, 21, of Letchworth, Hertfordshire, who has a number of convictions for credit card fraud, told the trial that he decided to give evidence against the six accused because killing children "takes the biscuit".

He travelled from Stevenage to Oxford on the night of the fire with the group but claims he was not aware of their intention to start the blaze.

Under cross-examination, Mr Khutan insisted he witnessed Liedl and Swanton return to their car with singed eyebrows and hair.

He told the court that the two teenagers were "buzzing", following the crime. Earlier he told how they laughed and swigged coke immediately after starting the fire.

But Michael Austin-Smith QC, defending, accused Mr Khutan of fabricating his story to justify his role as "star witness" for the prosecution. Mr Austin-Smith said: "You are quite unscrupulous and prepared to lie when it suits you. You tried to fool the police and this jury."

The defence barrister added that Mr Khutan was making up evidence.

"To save your own skin so you were not in the dock too, you decided to be their star witness," he said.

Mr Khutan insisted he was not fabricating evidence and told the jury how he was deeply affected when he saw photos of the deceased in the window of their home, following the fatal fire. When asked why he did not contact the police immediately to give evidence, Mr Khutan replied: "I had to think about Haq and Mo Nawaz because I had treated them like my own brothers. I did not want to grass.

I had to think of them but on the other hand two kids were dead. I could not live with it."

The court heard earlier that the six accused plotted the arson attack when the feud developed between the Khans and the Munshis, two Asian families.

The six charged with the two murders are Alan Swanton, 18, of Southern Way, Letchworth, Hertfordshire; brothers Mohammed Nawaz, 21, and Haq Nawaz, 31, both of Ridge Road, Letchworth; Thomas Liedl, 18, of Birdshill, Letchworth; Haroon Sharif, 20, of Morrell Avenue, Oxford; and Riaz Munshi, 26, of Fulwell Road, Sheffield. They all deny the charges.

In December 1997, Mr Khutan was being questioned at Hitchin Police Station about alleged offences not connected to the fire, when he volunteered information to a custody officer.

When Mr Khutan was told two youngsters had died, he said he wanted to give evidence.

The trial continues.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.