This is the shocking CCTV footage which captured arsonist Dilovan Sindi dousing a Westerhope barber shop with petrol in a ‘revenge attack’.
Dilovan Sindi, 39, entered Amed’s Hair Design, on Stamfordham Road in May 2023 and doused the shop in petrol. he had been sacked by the owner who believed Sindi had been stealing from the business, the court was told.
The CCTV footage shows Sindi approaching the barber shop with a jerry can in his hand before entering the shop, in broad daylight, and pouring petrol over the floor, barber chairs and furniture. In the footage, Sindi can also be seen telling people who were in the barber shop to ‘get out, get out’.
Once the defendant stopped spreading petrol around the shop, he pulled out a lighter causing staff and customers to evacuate the premises. The court was told the defendant, and two male victims were left in the barber shop.
The court was told the defendant then threw petrol from the jerry can onto the two other men, causing one of the men to “bravely” try and disarm the defendant of the lighter in his hand. While falling to the floor there was an explosion and petrol, which had been spread across the floor by the defendant, helped accelerate the fire across the shop.
The court was told one of the men was trapped in the back corner of the shop, while the other male managed to get out of the fire. The court heard the defendant remained at the centre of the fire and attempted to get up a number of times but kept falling down due to the accelerant on the floor. The court was told the shop filled with smoke and eventually everyone got out, including the defendant who ran out of the shop and ran down the road.
Northumbria Police said it was lucky no-one died in the attack
Sindi, of Sulgrave Road, Washington, admitted to arson with intent to endanger life, grievous bodily harm and attempted wounding. He was sentenced to seven years and two months in prison.
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