Two teenagers used petrol to set fire to an Asian family's home and then laughed about their lethal actions, a court heard.

Anum Khan, nine, died in the horrific blaze at her home in Magdalen Road, Oxford, on August 26, last year. Her brother Majid, 15, died shortly afterwards.

Birmingham Crown Court heard yesterday that Alan Swanton and Thomas Liedl were seen approaching the Khan family home with a petrol canister during the early hours.

Minutes later, the jury heard, the pair returned to a group of accomplices with singed eyebrows and hair. They also reeked of petrol.

Sundar Khutan, 21, also of Watchword, travelled with six people accused of the murders, to Oxford from Stevenage on the night of the fire. He has not been charged with any offence.

He told how Swanton and Liedl met the others shortly after the blaze to get a lift back to Hertfordshire.

One of the accused, Haq Nawaz, then rewarded them for starting the blaze by giving them each a can of coke.

Mr Khutan said: "Haq passed one can of coke to Liedl and one can to Swanton. Swanton said 'I lit the match and all I felt was pressure then I fell back'. They were laughing. "Liedl said 'yeah there was a lot of pressure, I picked Alan up and we ran'.

"Haq said 'that was good boys, we will meet you back at home'."

Mr Khutan said Liedl, nicknamed 'Eggy', had heard people screaming from the Khans' burning home.

The jury was told earlier that the six accused and Mr Khutan had met at a petrol station, where a canister of petrol was purchased, hours before the arson attack took place. They travelled in two cars to Oxford, staying in touch through their mobile phones.

Once the Khans' house was in darkness, Swanton and Liedl struck, the court heard. Mr Khutan had been puzzled by the inclusion of Swanton and Liedl as they were white, while the rest were Asian.

Mr Khutan said: "I asked Haq 'why are you bringing the two white geezers if you called me'? Haq did say to me that Eggy and Swanton were doing their own little mission. What we call a mission is going to beat someone up."

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.

The trial continues.

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