Jury considers verdict in hostel blaze case

A jury today began considering its verdict in the trial of a drifter charged with starting an Australian hostel fire that killed 15 young backpackers, including seven Britons and an Irish woman.

The Brisbane Supreme Court jury of seven women and five men will decide the fate of drifter Robert Long, an itinerant fruit picker, charged with starting the fire which tore through the Palace Backpackers Hostel in Childers on June 23, 2000.