TWO young men facing three murder charges following a fire in Chatham High Street have made a second appearance before a judge at Maidstone Crown Court.

Sam Benn, 20, of no fixed home, and a 17-year-old from Gillingham, were expected to enter pleas to the charges but the hearing was adjourned at the request of their lawyers.

Wendy Joseph, QC, for Benn, said she and Mark McDonald, for the teenager, were seeking psychiatric reports.

“Until that is done, we are not in a position to offer any sort of advice that would be helpful in a case like this,” she said.

Miss Joseph told Judge Andrew Patience, QC, that if he wanted arraignment to take place not guilty pleas would be entered, but she added: “It doesn’t follow that in due course other avenues will be explored.”

Benn and the teenager, who cannot be identified because of his age, are accused of the murders of Rikki Sheehan, 27, her boyfriend Paul Arnold, 34, and two-year-old son Charlie.

The three were trapped in their flat above the Blaze restaurant on March 18 after the fire started inside a shopping trolley on the ground floor.

Benn and his co-accused only spoke to answer their names. They were remanded in custody and will return to court for a further hearing on August 19.

Judge Patience set a provisional trial date of October 3 and said enquiries would be made to see if it could be held earlier at another court.