CCTV released of arson attack on Wolverhampton home that left one dead and four others injured
Watch Charlotte Cross' report from the scene of the arson attack in Wolverhampton
Shocking CCTV footage of what police say was a deadly, deliberate, and targeted arson attack on a home in Wolverhampton has been released, showing the moment the house was engulfed in flames.
The security video clearly shows a figure dressed in black, carrying what appears to be a petrol canister, as they make their way up Plascom Road in the East Park area, shortly after 1am on June 25.
They then begin their attack - repeatedly smashing the front window until it falls away, before pouring petrol through the gap and setting it alight.
West Midlands Police has released the full CCTV footage of the arson attack
The resulting blaze left one man, named as 26-year-old Akashdeep Singh, dead, while four others were taken to hospital - two of them, a 16 year old boy and a 52 year old woman, are still there, in a critical but stable condition.
“What is the motive behind it?” Det Supt Shaun Edwards, from West Midlands Police’s homicide investigations unit, asked.
“We’re trying to understand why this happened.
“Secondly, the person or the people responsible would have planned it. There would have been an element of planning in terms of carrying out a recce, or buying petrol.
“Has it been targeted deliberately? Or has it been targeted because they thought it was another house?
“They’re the kind of things we want the public to come forward for. But this isn’t a random attack, that house was targeted by the offenders.”
He said because of the size of the fireball which erupted when the petrol was set alight, officers believe the person responsible may well have suffered burn injuries themselves.
Meaning not only do officers want to hear from any witnesses or anyone who has heard anything about the attack, but from anybody who has been anyone with burns in the past two weeks.
Akashdeep’s family have also released a statement in tribute to the man they called a “true hero” and “precious son”.
“He was a kind, helpful, and deeply religious person whose loss brings us immense pain that will remain with us for the rest of our lives,” they said.
“A true hero, our precious son, whose boundless kindness, infectious laughter, and unwavering love filled our lives with immeasurable joy; his memory will forever be cherished, and the depth of his absence is profoundly felt every single day.”
Anybody with any information they believe may help detectives track down the person or people responsible for the attack, and for the death of Akashdeep, is being urged to call West Midlands Police on 101, citing log 218 of 25 June, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
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