AUSTRALIA: The trial of a drifter accused of lighting a fire in an Australian hostel that killed 15 backpackers, including an Irishwoman, is to finish early after he admitted some parts of the prosecution's case.
Mr Robert Paul Long (38) an itinerant fruit picker, is accused of starting the fire in June 2000 at the hostel in Childers, 190 miles north of Brisbane.
Ms Julie O'Keefe (24), from Limerick, died in the fire, which also claimed the lives of seven young Britons, three backpackers from Australia, two from the Netherlands and one each from South Korea and Japan.
The trial was expected to last up to six weeks, but his lawyer told the Brisbane Supreme Court yesterday Mr Long was aware when he left Childers that the hostel had been destroyed by fire.
The admission - one of seven he made through his lawyer - was expected to shorten the proceedings by two weeks.
Mr Long has pleaded not guilty to arson and the murder of Australian twins Kelly and Stacey Slarke. He faces life in jail if convicted.
Judge Peter Dutney told the jury Mr Long's admissions meant that the prosecution no longer had to prove those aspects of the case, and the proceedings are now expected to finish next week.
Former hostel resident Mr Darren Cameron told the Brisbane court that, in the weeks before the fire, Mr Long made death threats against a backpacker who shared a room with him. Mr Cameron said Mr Long made the threats after returning to the hostel from a pub.