ONE of the men accused of murdering a father and his two children in a blaze at their home ordered a pub to be burned down, a court heard.

Convicted drug dealer Lee McCarthy, 31, said Scott Snowden was angry because he heard he was going to be banned from the Mariners pub in Helensburgh.

McCarthy was giving evidence at the trial of Snowden, 37, and Robert Jennings, 50, who deny murdering Thomas Sharkey, 55, his son 21-year-old Thomas junior and his eight year-old daughter Bridget at their home at Scott Court, Helensburgh, Argyll, on July 24, 2011.

Snowden and Jennings also deny attempting to murder Mr Sharkey's wife Angela, 48, in the early morning blaze.

They also deny various arson attacks and assaults in the Helensburgh area.

Prosecutor Alex Prentice, QC, was told by Mr McCarthy that he was in Jennings's home in Williamson Drive, Helenburgh, days before the Mariners in West Clyde Street, Helenburgh, went on fire on April 19, 2010.

He said as he sat talking to Jennings, Snowden arrived.

Mr McCarthy said: "He was a bit fuming. He said he was barred from the Mariners."

The court has heard that the pub, which was being renovated by Mr Sharkey senior, was a few weeks away from opening and there were rumours that a blacklist had been drawn up.

Under the Pubwatch scheme operating in Helensburgh, anyone barred from one pub was also banned from all the others.

Mr Prentice asked: "Did Mr Snowden say anything?" Mr McCarthy replied: "He said to Mr Jennings 'you know what to do'." Asked if Snowden had said anything else Mr McCarthy replied: "Just basically that he wanted it burned down."

Mr McCarthy said that he spoke to Jennings after the fire. He told the jury: "He said he walked along the shoreline – the beach – to do it, to set the pub on fire."

Earlier, Mr McCarthy told the jury that Mr Sharkey senior, who he knew by his nickname T-bags, had accused him of setting fire to the Mariners pub.

Mr McCarthy added: "He asked me if I petrol bombed his pub."

Mr Prentice then said: "Did you petrol bomb his pub?" Mr McCarthy replied: "No, I didn't."

In evidence, Mr McCarthy said he had only been released from jail last Friday after serving a sentence for dealing in cocaine.

The ex-soldier told the court he first met Snowden in 2009 and would buy cocaine from him and sell it on.

He also claimed Snowden had confessed to him that he had set fire to a house under construction at Kingspoint, Shandon, Helensburgh.

He said he met Snowden at the County Hotel in Helensburgh for a drink.

Mr McCarthy added: "Mr Snowden said he done the fire. He said he went and offered them security. They said no and that night it was on fire. It was a house that was getting built at Shandon. He just said it was him that set it alight."

The court heard about another fire at the Garth Inn in Helensburgh. Mr McCarthy said he was a regular there and it was burned down.

He said he spoke to Snowden after the blaze and added: "He just admitted that it was him that paid to get it done."

Snowden and Jennings deny all the charges against them.

The trial before Lord Matthews continues.