A JURY has heard the 999 call made by a Basingstoke tenant who claimed his house had been petrol bombed.

At Winchester Crown Court on Thursday, jurors listened to a recording of the emergency call to the fire brigade in which Rachael Tuscani claimed he had seen someone setting his maisonette on fire.

The jurors heard him cry out before he dropped his mobile phone and jumped out of a first floor window.

The blaze, at Faroe Close, Popley, happened at around 3.30am on March 14 last year - the day before Tuscani was due to be evicted from his home.

The court has heard how the 39-year-old - formerly known as Bruce Middleditch - had run up rent arrears of more than £1,000 and Oakfern Housing Association had applied to the county court to evict him.

Mr Christopher Mills, a forensic audio expert who was asked to listen to the tape, said the sound of Tuscani crying out was very close to the mouthpiece on the mobile telephone.

Mr Mills said: "It's not something I would expect. This sounded like someone with the handset next to their mouth. I would not expect it to be so clear."

The court also heard evidence about Tuscani's injuries following the blaze.

Mr Anthony Roberts, a retired consultant plastic surgeon, told the court that the injuries were similar to those that would have been sustained in a flash explosion.

A statement read out by the prosecution from Alison Freeman, a staff nurse in the accident and emergency department at Basingstoke hospital, told how she found Tuscani "laid back, calm and quiet" when he was admitted after the fire.

The jury heard that in police interviews Tuscani denied he had been responsible for the fire and said: "I did not set light to my house."

The trial has heard Tuscani claimed the blaze was started by someone who got into his home and told him to warn a friend not to give evidence in a drugs trial.

The prosecution - which alleges Tuscani may have started the blaze because he wanted to be rehoused - concluded its case on Friday.

The hearing was adjourned until today when the defence case is due to begin.

The trial continues.