Oldham man on trial in connection with Leicester fire which killed five

The scene in Leicester on February

The trial of a man from Oldham, accused of being one of three men who caused a fire at a property in Leicester back in February which claimed the lives of five people, has started.

Thirty-seven-year old Arkan Ali, from Drake Close in Oldham, is accused of murder, manslaughter and fraud in relation to an insurance policy concerning the premises.

He appeared at Leicester Crown Court yesterday (Tuesday) alongside 34-year old Aram Kurd, from Leicester and 32-year old Hawker Hassan, formerly of Coventry and East Anglia.

All three of those accused deny all the charges against them.

The charges relate to an incident on Hinckley Road on Sunday, February 25, when an explosion at a Polish supermarket, called Zabka, caused a fire which engulphed the two-storey flat above the shop.

The building was destroyed by the blaze.

Eighteen-year old Shane Ragoobeer, his brother 17-year old Sean, Shane’s girlfriend 18-year-old Leah Beth Reek along with the brothers’ mother Mary Ragoobeer, aged 46, were in the flat at the time of the explosion and died.

A fifth person, 22-year old Viktorija Ljevleva, who was believed to have been in the shop at the time of the blast, died as a result of his injuries.

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