Arson attack wasn’t murder

A COPPICE woman has been found guilty of manslaughter after two children died as part of a revenge arson attack against her ex-boyfriend in Oxford 17 years ago.

Oxford Crown Court heard how Fiaz Munshi (38), of Manley Road, travelled to Oxford from Hertfordshire on August 26, 1997, to punish Amjad Khan who had recently broken off their relationship.

Along with her sister and six men she played a part in petrol being squirted through his family home and set alight. The blaze killed his siblings Majid (15) and Anum (8).

Munshi was found guilty of manslaughter but cleared of murder yesterday — she will be sentenced tomorrow.

Both families erupted after the verdict with each of them hurling abuse at the other in court before they were removed by police.

Five others have also been convicted.

The court was told how they all waited until the family had gone to bed in the early hours of the morning before ringleader Haq Nawaz instructed Alan Swanton and Thomas Liedl to pour petrol through the letterbox.

Munshi was initially arrested in September, 1997, but was released due to insufficient evidence.

On December 9, 1997, Munshi flew to Pakistan but two days later, fresh evidence emerged with arrests being made and six people were charged with murder.

Munshi returned to the UK in 2004 and Lancashire Police told Thames Valley Police about her return the next year but the information was not acted on due to a processing error.