Murder trial for man accused of Childers fire

Fruit picker Robert Paul Long has been ordered to stand trial for murder and arson over the Childers backpacker hostel blaze that killed 15 tourists, a magistrate ruled yesterday.

Long, aged 37, faces life imprisonment if convicted of killing Australians Kelly and Stacey Slarke in the fire that burnt the Palace Backpackers Hostel in southern Queensland in June last year.

On Friday, Long pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and a charge of arson.