A TEENAGER accused of causing a £38,000 nightclub blaze has told a jury he was not the arsonist.
Ashley Walwyn put the blame on Robert Jones, one of three youths he was with on the night of the fire.
He claimed he saw Mr Jones flicking matches by a wheelie bin full of rubbish and throwing them in.
He ran off in panic but flames spread to the Crystal Rooms in Bridge Street, Hereford, and residents in adjoining flats had to be evacuated to safety.
Thirty firemen spent three-and-a-half hours bringing the blaze on June 6, 2000, under control. Luckily, the nightclub was closed to the public and no one was hurt.
Walwyn, aged 19, denies arson while reckless whether lives were endangered and an alternative charge of arson.
Worcester Crown Court heard that the defendant was arrested six months after the when a security guard who had seen youths running away from the nightclub recognised him.
Walwyn, of Hunderton Road, Hereford, and his friends had been to The Jailhouse nightclub and were walking home when he stopped to urinate.
He claimed he then saw Mr Jones by the bin. ''I could see Robert flicking his matches. He was lighting them and chucking them in. I shouted to him, 'don't bother because we'll get into trouble'.''
He said that after Mr Jones walked off he approached the bin and saw flames coming out. He tried to blow them out but was unsuccessful and ran off.
Walwyn caught up with the others and then overtook them. There was no conversation about the fire, he insisted to the jury.
Anthony Warner, prosecuting, said Walwyn was forced to change his story after police surprised him with a security video. On the film he is shown ahead of the others but he told police he was lagging behind them.
He had tried to ''embroider'' his account by blaming Mr Jones, said Mr Warner.
Walwyn maintained he was the odd one out in the gang and knew he would wrongly be blamed for the fire.
Earlier, Matthew Jones, who was with Walwyn that night, said he had asked him if he was the firebug. Walwyn replied that he lit a piece of cardboard from the bin.
The trial continues.
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