FOUR men who set fire to the wrong house in an attempted honour killing have been sentenced to life in prison after they were convicted of murdering a couple in northwestern England.
The men, who intended to torch the house of a man who was having an affair with the sister of one of the arsonists, targeted the wrong address in Blackburn and killed a married couple, Sky News reported.
Abdullah Mohammed, 41 and his wife Aysha, 39, were overcome by smoke in their home and died later in the hospital. They are survived by their three children aged nine, 14 and 19.
Preston Crown Court judge Justice Henriques said it was “nearly impossible to imagine a worse case of arson than this. You have wreaked devastation on a blameless, devout family.”
Justice Henriques added: “It is a most cruel irony that two such devout members of the community, both deeply religious, should have lost their lives to such a perverted and wicked act.”
Three of the men drove from their homes in east London. Habib Iqbal, 25, Sadek Miah, 23, and Mohammed Miah [no relation], 19, were recruited by Hisamuddin Ibrahim, 21.
Ibrahim was jailed for a minimum of 28 years. His accomplices were handed sentences between 19 and 25 years in prison.
Ibrahim was said to be enraged that his sister, Hafija Gorji, was divorcing her husband and had begun an affair.
It was said Ibrahim wanted to punish her lover on behalf of his family – but the arsonists poured petrol into the wrong house as the Mohammeds were asleep.
CCTV footage showed a car belonging to Sadek Miah’s mother in the area early in the morning. Three figures got out with a container. The attack was not filmed but the men returned to the car and drove off without headlights.
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