A BACKPACKER from Wigan was today giving evidence in the trial of a man accused of setting fire to a hostel in Australia.

Fifteen people, including seven British travellers, died in the blaze in Childers, Queensland, in June 2000.

Keith O'Brien, aged 23, told the court he heard Robert Long threaten to burn down the Palace Hotel a few days before the fire. Long denies murder and arson. The trial continues.