A BARMAN accused of beating his girlfriend to death and setting fire to her body is facing a retrial after a jury failed to reach a verdict.

Scott Lindsay, 27, is alleged to have clubbed Natalie Correa at least 15 times over the head with a blunt object as her children slept upstairs.

A fierce fire broke out in the living room of the couple’s two-bedroom council house in Lake Gardens, Dagenham, leaving Lindsay and the two boys, aged seven and nine, to be rescued by firefighters.

The partially-burnt body of Miss Correa, 27, was found under the remains of a quilt in the living room shortly after 12.40am.

Lindsay told police he had nothing to do with the murder on November 19 last year.

There was no sign of any disturbance, no evidence of any forced entry or attempt to force entry and no evidence of anything missing from inside the property.

Lindsay, of Lake Gardens, Dagenham, denied murder and arson.

The jury failed to reach a verdict after deliberating for over a week and was discharged by Judge William Kennedy.

A retrial was set for April 4 next year.