Updated 13:50

A court has heard that a man accused of killing a boy in Tallaght by setting his den on fire looked worried when he realised there was somebody inside.

12-year-old Stephen Hughes died after his makeshift hut at Rossfield Avenue, Tallaght burnt down in the early hours of September 1st 2001.

Daryl Hall, who escaped through the back of the den and climbed over a wall, is giving evidence in the manslaughter trial of Dermot Griffin of Ballyfermot Road. Griffin is accused of setting the den on fire.

Hall told the jury that Griffin was one of three locals who arrived at the scene while it was burning and looked worried when Hall said his friend was inside.

On that night, Hall was sleeping over in their base with his friend Hughes.

In the early hours, he awoke to screams and blindly charged towards the back of the smoke-filled hut where he managed to make his escape.

He said he could feel Stephen's hands on his back as he navigated his way out but realised he was still trapped inside when he climbed to safety.

The now 26-year-old told the jury that Griffin was one of three locals who arrived at the scene while it was burning. He said the accused put his hands on his head and looked worried when he told them his friend was still inside.

The others looked panicked and worried too, he added.

54-year-old Dermot Griffin denies killing Stephen by deliberately starting the fire.

Earlier this week, prosecution counsel Mary-Rose Gearty said the jury will see CCTV footage of an unidentifiable figure approaching the den seconds before the conflagration.