PRESTON, England, July 25 (UPI) -- A teenager was convicted Wednesday in northern England of setting a fire that killed a friend and his two younger sisters and brother.
Dyson Allen, 19, was warned he faces a "substantial" sentence for four counts of manslaughter, the Daily Mirror reported. Sir Stephen Males, the judge who heard the case in Preston Crown Court, postponed sentencing until September to allow time for psychiatric evaluations.
The jury acquitted Allen of murder.
The fire that killed Reece Smith, 19, twins Holly and Ella, 4, and Jordan, 2, began Jan. 7, 2012, while their mother, Michelle Smith, was celebrating her birthday downstairs with friends in their home in Freckleton. Investigators said it began in a wardrobe.
Reece Smith died trying to save his younger siblings.
Allen, who had a history of fire-starting, had spent the previous night with the family and was at the party. Witnesses said he was upstairs when the fire began.
On the witness stand, Allen denied starting the fire and said he noticed it and called to Reece to help the younger children.
A woman who appeared to be Allen's mother ran from the court yelling after the verdicts.
"It's all her fault," the woman said, referring to Michelle Smith. "If she hadn't had her [expletive] party none of this would have happened."
