Fire victim ‘devastated’ by earlier pub blaze
A BUSINESSMAN who died along with his two children following a fire at the family home was left “gutted, devastated and speechless” when a pub he was renovating was burned down, a court heard.
DJ Scott Sinclair, 25, told the High Court in Glasgow that he had been approached by Thomas Sharkey Snr to work at The Mariners pub in West Clyde Street, Helensburgh, Argyll and Bute, which was just weeks from opening.
Mr Sinclair, who lives in the town, said he had met Mr Sharkey three times for lunch and that he was “very enthusiastic” about the new venture.
After the fire on April 19 2010, which caused extensive damage to the pub, Mr Sinclair said he met Mr Sharkey and that he was “gutted, devastated and speechless”.
The cour t heard Mr Sinclair had also been a part- time DJ at The Garth Inn in Helensburgh the year before, which had also been badly damaged in a blaze.
Scott Snowden, 37, and Robert Jennings, 50, are on trial at the High Court in Glasgow, where they deny murdering three members of a family by pouring petrol or something similar through their letterbox and setting fire to it.
Thomas Sharkey Jnr, 21, and his eight-year-old sister Bridget died in the blaze at their Scott Court home in Helensburgh in the early hours of Sunday July 24 2011.
Their father, 55-year-old Thomas Sharkey Snr, died of his injuries in hospital six days later.
Snowden and Jennings also deny wilful fireraising at The Mariners pub and The Garth Inn by pouring petrol, or a similar accelerant, though a broken window.
A barmaid also told the trial that she was on duty in the Ashton Bar, Helensburgh, the night before the fatal fire that claimed three members of the Sharkey family.
Sharon Connor, 36, said that she went on duty at 5pm on July 23, 2011 with Mr Sharkey leaving the bar until closing time at 1am.
She told prosecutor Alex Prentice QC: “He was there when I started my shift and he was drinking and that was unusual. We didn’t usually see Tommy in at that time of evening and if he did he usually had a soft drink.”
The trial before Lord Matthews continues.