Shahid Mohammed: Man who murdered eight people in house fire jailed for life

After more than a decade on the run, he was extradited back to the UK last year

An arsonist who murdered eight people – including five children – after petrol-bombing a house in Huddersfield in 2002 has been jailed for life with a minimum of 23 years.

Shahid Mohammed was convicted on Tuesday afternoon of eight counts of murder against five children and three adults who were all related.

The house fire that killed the members of the Chisti family was said to have been provoked by a long-held family grudge relating to Mohammed's sister.

The victims were asleep in their home on Osborne Road, Birkby, Huddersfield, when petrol bombs were thrown inside the property, with petrol also being poured through the letterbox and ignited.

The five children that died along with their mother, uncle and grandmother stood little chance of escaping the burning inferno, prosecutors told Leeds Crown Court.

Mohammed had been investigated by the police for his role in setting the fire, but while others stood trial in 2003 he instead skipped bail and fled to Pakistan.

After more than a decade on the run, he was extradited back to the UK last year.

A four-week trial at Leeds Crown Court heard how, in the lead-up to the fire, Mohammed had taken against Saud Pervez, the boyfriend of his sister, Shahida.

Prosecutors said that Mohammed Ateeq-Ur-Rehman, one of those who died in the fire, was the likely target of the arson attack as he had played an "active part" in maintaining the relationship.

After being convicted of eight counts of murder and a single charge of conspiracy to commit arson with intent to endanger life, Mohammed was jailed on Wednesday for life with a minimum of 23 years.

Michael Quinn from the Crown Prosecution Service said: “This utterly horrific crime wiped out three generations of one family including a six month old baby.

“Shahid Mohammed evaded justice for 16 years but the hunt for him never ceased and he must now face justice for what he has done to the Chisti family.”