Teenager in court on murder charges

Dyson Allen’s mother watched as her son was remanded in custody by magistrates in Blackpool to appear in Preston Crown Court on Monday.

Allen, from Lytham, has recently been living in Liverpool.

Hugh Pond, defending, said his client, who wore a grey sweater and white shirt, denied the murder allegations and would do so during the trial.

Allen is charged with murdering Reece Smith, 19, his twin sisters Ella and Holly Smith, four, and their two-year-old brother, Jordan.

All four died in a fire which swept through the bungalow on Lytham Road, Freckleton, on January 7.

The fire started in a bedroom on the night of the 36th birthday party celebrated by the children’s mother.

Joanne Cunliffe successfully applied for the remand on behalf of the Crown Prosecution Service.

Allen was re-arrested in Liverpool this week after being on police bail for the last 11 months.

Follow us on twitter @The_Gazette and like our page on facebook to keep up with all the latest news.