Parole hearing looms for man guilty of Freckleton sibling fire deaths

Four-year-old twins Holly and Ella Smith and brothers Jordan, two, and Reece, 19, died as a result of the blaze in 2012.

Dyson Allen, then 19, was jailed for life with a minimum term of nine years and three months.

In 2013 he was convicted of four counts of manslaughter, with jurors at Preston Crown Court clearing him of murder.

The court heard all four siblings had died from the effects of smoke inhalation, with Reece succumbing to the smoke after going back into the fire to try and save his brother and sisters.

Throughout the trial, tearful Allen insisted he had not been the one to start the blaze. However in a shock confession, two years after he was jailed, he admitted his responsibility to a probation officer.

Now, Allen is due to appear at a parole hearing which a Parole Board spokesman confirmed is to take place on Monday, April 24.

The Parole Board spokesman said: "An oral hearing has been listed for the parole review of Dyson Allen and is scheduled to take place in April 2023.

“Parole Board decisions are solely focused on what risk a prisoner could represent to the public if released and whether that risk is manageable in the community.

“A panel will carefully examine a huge range of evidence, including details of the original crime, and any evidence of behaviour change, as well as explore the harm done and impact the crime has had on the victims.

“Members read and digest hundreds of pages of evidence and reports in the lead up to an oral hearing.

“Evidence from witnesses including probation officers, psychiatrists and psychologists, officials supervising the offender in prison as well as victim personal statements are then given at the hearing.

“The prisoner and witnesses are then questioned at length during the hearing which often lasts a full day or more.

“Parole reviews are undertaken thoroughly and with extreme care. Protecting the public is our number one priority.”