An Iraqi endangered lives by setting fire to two asylum hotels because he was determined to do ‘whatever it takes’ to be moved to better accommodation, a judge has said.
Rawand Abdulrahman, 37, caused hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of damage at the taxpayer-funded properties.
The inferno at the Phoenix Hotel in North Weald, Essex, left an entire wing of the building needing to be rebuilt. ‘Terrified’ residents there included children.
Just eight days later, Abdulrahman torched the Bell Hotel in Epping a few miles away.
Abdulrahman was quickly arrested after the second fire and has now been convicted of two counts of arson reckless as to whether life was endangered after a trial at Chelmsford Crown Court.
Jurors cleared him of arson with intent to endanger life.
He showed no emotion as Judge Alexander Mills jailed him for eight-and-a-half years, with a further three years on licence.
Abdulrahman will serve two-thirds of his sentence before the Parole Board considers his release, after which he was warned he would probably be deported.
Rawand Abdulrahman, 37, caused hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of damage at the taxpayer-funded properties
Judge Mills said the defendant – who had been refused asylum in Sweden before coming to the UK – had decided ‘enough was enough’ and took matters into his own hands to be moved from accommodation he considered ‘akin to a prison’.
He added: ‘It’s clear to me that you are willing to do whatever it takes to further a particular outcome, particularly when you do no like it, and think that things will not change unless you take matters into your own hands.’
The fire at the Phoenix Hotel on March 28 last year began in Room 9, where Abdulrahman - whose claims to be a sheep farmer from Iraq could not be verified by the authorities - was staying with another asylum seeker.
The defendant set light to the beds, which were arranged in an L-shape, with the fire tearing through the entire left wing of the building.
His trial heard there was no loss of life after staff acted quickly to activate the fire alarm, although the repair bill will run to ‘several hundreds of thousands of pounds’.
Abdulrahman was briefly transferred to another hotel in Reading, Berkshire, before being given a room at The Bell.
The hotel was the scene of violent protests from July last year after a resident sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl.
On April 5, two mattresses in the shared room were set on fire, damaging the room and all its contents at a cost of around £40,000. The other occupant was away at the time.
An investigation by the Essex Fire Service into the Phoenix Hotel blaze concluded that the fire was likely started on purpose
The fire spread and entirely destroyed the left wing of the Phoenix hotel
Abdulrahman was convicted of two counts of arson reckless as to whether life was endangered after a trial at Chelmsford Crown Court. Jurors cleared him of arson with intent to endanger life
Both the Phoenix and Bell hotels were being used as dedicated accommodation for refugees and asylum seekers when the fires occurred
The Phoenix Hotel fire was investigated by Essex Fire Service investigators, who produced a report dated September 17 last year.
They concluded that the most probable cause of the fire was deliberate ignition, with the area of origin including the left-hand mattress in room 9.
They also concluded that there was a risk of several fatalities, with the rapid development of the fire increasing the risk to occupants and staff, and a risk to responders attempting to save lives.
The court heard that the cause of the fire at the Bell was also investigated, with the conclusion that the most probable cause was deliberate ignition through the introduction of a naked flame to material on the bed, or the mattresses themselves.
There was again the risk of fatalities but the quick actions of staff had also prevented this, the court heard.
Abdulrahman, who has no previous convictions, was described by his defence barrister, James Cox, as ‘in state-imposed limbo’, whose life 'was one of extreme uncertainty, frustration, fear and desperation'.
He added: ‘This offending took place as the culmination of a life of hardship and hopelessness after years upon years of waiting for his asylum [application] to be processed with no control over his life.
‘The offending took place at a point of heightened desperation and frustration.’
The defendant, who claims to be an Iraqi sheep farmer, was arrested soon after the second fire
The court heard that, unlike in Sweden, Abdulrahman was unable to work whilst in the UK awaiting the outcome of his asylum application.
But Judge Mills told the defendant: ‘This was not a moment of madness that arose out of a background.
‘In my judgement, what you sought to do quite deliberately was to get moved on from this accommodation by what you did.’
Chief Inspector Terry Fisher, the District Commander for Epping Forest, said after the hearing last week: ‘Abdulrahman's actions risked the safety of the residents and staff at both hotels.
‘I am pleased that our investigation, and the support from Essex County Fire and Rescue Service, has ensured he has been held accountable.
‘We will investigate offences where and when they take place, regardless of who they involve or where they take place.’