Ten men are facing imprisonment after a mother and daughter sustained horrific burns when their house was petrol-bombed in a revenge arson attack.
A 31-year-old woman and a 13-year-old girl were forced to leap from an upstairs window after sustaining severe injuries as their home was set ablaze in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire.
Emergency services were summoned to Beverley Drive, in the Bentilee area of the city, after a gang of men doused the property with petrol and ignited it.
The mother, who was also struck on the head as well as being set alight, sustained 65 per cent burns and was left in a coma for two months.
She survived, despite not being expected to, but was left with life-changing injuries which require ongoing medical treatment.
The teenage girl sustained 15 per cent burns to her right arm and right leg following the horror blaze on December 16 2021.
Ten men have now been convicted in connection with the attack following an 11-week trial at Nottingham Crown Court.
Shakil Uddin, 23, from Oldham, Greater Manchester, was found guilty of attempted murder and arson with intent on Friday.
Top L-R: Haris Mahmood, Shakil Uddin, Riyadh Iqbal, Tayyeb Majeed, Naveed Hussain. Bottom L-R: Lukman Khan, Ali Abbas, Muhammad Sufyaan-Shah, Bilal Ahmed, Kashif Ahmed
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Staffordshire Police
Lukman Khan, 24, and Riyadh Iqbal, 23, both of Normacot, Stoke-on-Trent, were both found guilty of grievous bodily harm with intent and arson with intent.
Muhammad Sufyaan-Shah, 25, of HMP Hindley, Wigan, and Tayyeb Majeed, 23, of Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, were convicted of grievous bodily harm with intent.
Previously, Ali Abbas, 22, and Haris Mahmood, 21, both from Normacot, admitted to two counts of attempted murder and arson with intent to endanger life.
Naveed Hussain, 32, from Longton, confessed to violent disorder and possession of a knife blade/sharp pointed article in a public place in December of the previous year.
Kashif Ahmed, 25, from Stoke-on-Trent, Bilal Ahmed, 26, from Normacot, and Ali Abbas, 22 from Normacot, had earlier pleaded guilty to violent disorder.
The court was informed that around 4pm on December 16 2021, Naveed Hussain, Bilal Ahmed, Kashif Ahmed and Ali Abbas engaged in a brawl on Kildare Street, Longton.
Kashif Ahmed sustained a stab wound to his shoulder and sought medical attention at a hospital.
At 10.55pm on the same day, several men approached the house on Beverley Drive demanding to converse with Naveed Hussain.
The incident took place on Beverley Drive, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire
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Google Maps
The men shattered the ground floor windows and doused petrol in the hallway near the front door and outside close to the living room window.
To evade, the woman and the girl broke the upstairs bedroom window and leapt out, with the woman also suffering a fractured pelvis, broken ribs and a lacerated liver from the fall and had to relearn how to walk.
Staffordshire Police stated that the case necessitated extensive work to assemble CCTV, digital evidence and specialist material to bring each defendant to justice.
Detective Constable Howard Davies, from the force’s Major Investigations Department, said: “This was a very detailed and thorough investigation. We left no stone unturned to examine the circumstances of this case.
“This was a horrific ordeal for a mother to be set on fire in her own home in front of her daughter by a number of men seeking revenge.
“Our investigation reflects the sustained commitment of officers and partners to securing justice for the victims and ensuring those involved are held fully accountable.”
Assistant Chief Fire Officer Michelle Hickmott, of Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “Following a thorough investigation working alongside our police colleagues, we are extremely pleased with the outcome of this case.
“Our investigation teams use their extensive skills and knowledge to identify when a fire has been started deliberately and then assist the investigation further to bring arsonists to justice.
“We are continually proud of the way our fire investigation colleagues work in collaboration with police to achieve these results.”
The men have all been remanded in custody and are due to be sentenced, at a date, time and court yet to be fixed.