An innocent elderly couple were cruelly burned to death after a Liverpool drug dealer ordered his gang to torch their home in St Helens. Sheila Jackson, 83, and Eric Greener, 77, had no criminal ties but became the tragic victims of a deadly arson attack on 15 July 2025.
Revenge Gone Horribly Wrong
Kevin Weetman, 34, from Sefton Park, unleashed the horror to punish Ms Jackson’s son for refusing to join his drug empire. Prosecutors revealed Weetman “wanted to exert his power as a drug dealer” by ordering the blaze that trapped the elderly couple inside their South John Street home.
Weetman enlisted Kylie Maynard, 47, from Everton, to arrange the attack. She then passed orders to arsonists Paul Smith, 40, and Lee Owens, 46—both homeless—who travelled by motorbike carrying petrol to ignite the fire.
Justice Served After Shocking Manslaughter Trial
Despite the brutality, all three denied murder but were found guilty of manslaughter by a Liverpool Crown Court jury in January 2026. The court heard the couple were “entirely innocent” and had “no involvement with the police.”
- Weetman: Life imprisonment, minimum 25 years before parole, plus 16 years for drug conspiracy
- Maynard: 23 years for manslaughter, plus 8 years for drug conspiracy
- Owens: 13 years 6 months for manslaughter
Paul Smith admitted his role in the arson to a friend but was found dead just a week after the fire.
Grim Toll of Drug Turf Wars
“Kevin Weetman set in course the events that led to their deaths to exert his power as a drug dealer and punish Ms Jackson’s son for not agreeing to work for him,” said Senior Crown Prosecutor Mairead Neeson. “Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Sheila Jackson and Eric Greener.”
The sentences reflect the deadly consequences of using fire as a weapon and the devastating ripple effect of drug-related violence on innocent victims.
The case shows how two elderly lives were tragically cut short over a brutal revenge plot sparked by a family member’s refusal to get involved in crime.
