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Triple murderer snores in Melbourne court

A Melbourne man who murdered three people, when he intentionally set fire to the squat they were living in, slept and snored as a prosecutor detailed his crime in the Supreme Court.

Darren Patrick Clover, 53, initially claimed the petrol found at the Footscray rope factory was to be used for a barbecue, but actually used it to ignite a small alcove where David Griffiths, Tanya Burmeister and her 15-year-old daughter Zoe were sleeping.

Clover was angry and jealous when his former partner Ms Burmeister started a new relationship with Mr Griffiths and had threatened them, once saying words to the effect of: "I am going to set the squat on fire," prosecutor Ray Gibson said on Wednesday.

On March 1 last year, Clover bought 1.6 litres of petrol from a nearby service station before setting fire to the former gas meter room just before 11.25pm.

Witnesses, who called triple zero and tried to put out the intense flames with buckets of water, said they heard voices inside calling for help but they went quiet after explosions inside.

The trio had chained the door from the inside, believing it would keep them safe.

Clover denied responsibility until August this year, when he pleaded guilty to three charges of murder.

After dozing off while the prosecutor spoke, he listened as statements of his victims' families were read in court.

Ms Burmeister's father Brad said he regretted not helping more when she called a month earlier.

"I can't help but feel I could have been more understanding about what she was going through. I thought there was time for that down the track," he said.

"One good thing is I said 'I love you'. She said 'I love you too, dad'."

He said he imagined what Zoe might be like now "because my imagination is all I have".

Alan and Gloria Griffiths said in their statement, read by family friend Terry McKay, their son had been almost ready to return to the family after a period away.

"The fact this turnaround was imminent made it even more difficult for our family to cope with his loss," they said.

"We were robbed of the chance to see this change in him firsthand."

Clover's lawyer Daniel Gurvich QC said it was an undeniable reality Clover was responsible for the deaths, though he maintained he didn't know Zoe was inside when he started the fire.

He claims he thought burning down the squat would leave the trio nowhere to stay and there's not a day he doesn't cry, knowing his actions killed them.

"I'd do anything to turn back time," he said.

Clover will be sentenced at a later date.