THE man accused of killing two apprentice jockeys by setting fire to a North Yorkshire flat has denied all charges.

Peter William Brown, 37, pleaded not guilty at Leeds Crown Court yesterday to charges that he murdered Jamie Kyne, 18, and Jan Wilson, 19.

He also denied charges that he killed both apprentice jockeys by manslaughter and a separate arson charge that he set fire to the flat where they were, in Buckrose Court, Norton, with intent to endanger the lives of one or more of the people inside it.

His trial is expected to start today. Brown, who was living in the same block of flats at the time of the jockeys’ deaths, was arrested after a fire there early on September 5.

Mr Kyne, who came from County Galway, and Miss Wilson, who came from Forfar died in the fire.

Yesterday, the charges were put to Brown for the first time and he denied all five.

The deaths of the two promising young jockeys were met with shock in the close-knit racing town and prompted tributes from throughout the whole of the racing world.

At the age of 18, Jamie Kyne had just come into his own, riding to 29 victories, including the biggest of his career when he won the £40,000 sportingbet.com Sprint at York in May last year.

His death in the blaze brought tributes from some of the biggest names in the sport, including former mentor Declan Carroll, who described Jamie as “a good rider with a lovely personality”.

Jan Wilson, who was based at David Barron’s stables in Thirsk, said she had “the best job in the world”.

Just four weeks before her death, the 19-year-old enjoyed her third adult win, riding to success in her home country at the Ayr races.

Speaking shortly after the fire, her parents, Drew and Margaret, described their daughter as “determined and totally fearless in the saddle”.