PETROL station customers joked about a paranoid schizophrenic “doing something with that petrol” before he started a fatal flat fire, an inquest heard.

The inquest into the death of Khabi Abrey in Westcliff heard how Lillo Troisi visited a petrol station in Rayleigh half an hour before starting the fire.

Troisi had been living underneath the Abrey family in the Gramplin flats in the Balmoral estate.

Troisi, who was diagnosed as psychotic, was caught on ANPR cameras driving to the Sainsbury’s store on the Rayleigh Weir junction of the A127 at 10.26pm on May 7 to fill up a container of fuel.

The remains of a container along with a small amount of fuel was found near the Abrey’s flat after the fire, which happened at around 10.55pm.

The two-week inquest began at Essex Coroner's Court today.

In a witness statement read to the court by Area Coroner Sean Horstead, a member of staff said Troisi made her and her colleague feel “very uncomfortable”.

She said: “He entered the shop and I remember he looked suspicious and picked up a green petrol can and he said ‘do I have to pay for this now?’.

“I said no you can pay for it with you petrol.

“I saw him at the pump and walked back in and said ‘can I change it?’ and I said yes. He replaced the green with a black one.

“Another two customers commented on his strange behaviour.”

The woman said the two customers who walked by Troisi claimed he was “shouting and swearing”.

She continued: “One of the males got to us and said ‘I hope he doesn’t do anything with that petrol’.

“I just laughed as a thought he was loopy.

“He made both me and my colleague feel very uncomfortable and stared at both of us in the eyes.

“I asked if he had a Nectar card and he snapped ‘no’. I gave him his change and he left and the truck quickly sped off.”

The woman said she later saw reports of the arson and was left “shocked”.