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Man guilty of girl's fire death | Man guilty of girl's fire death |
(30 minutes later) | |
A teenager has been found guilty of killing a six-year-old girl who died in a fire at her home in Birmingham. | A teenager has been found guilty of killing a six-year-old girl who died in a fire at her home in Birmingham. |
Daryl Tuzzio, 18, started the blaze in March in which Alisha Begum died in what was called an "honour" killing. | |
Tuzzio, of Sandringham Road, Perry Barr, was cleared of murder but convicted of manslaughter and arson. | Tuzzio, of Sandringham Road, Perry Barr, was cleared of murder but convicted of manslaughter and arson. |
Hussain Ahmed, 26, of Harborne, who was said to have plotted the fire because of a relationship his sister was having with Alisha's brother, was acquitted. | |
A two-week trial at Birmingham Crown Court heard that Alisha's brother Abdul Hamid, 21, had begun a relationship with 15-year-old Meherun Khanum, who is Mr Ahmed's sister. | |
There are no winners here Det Sgt Stuart Kidd | |
Prosecutors claimed that Mr Ahmed, who was friends with Tuzzio, had orchestrated the attack because he disapproved of the relationship. | |
Det Sgt Stuart Kidd, of West Midlands Police, said after the conviction: "Much has been said and made of so called honour in the circumstances surrounding this case. | Det Sgt Stuart Kidd, of West Midlands Police, said after the conviction: "Much has been said and made of so called honour in the circumstances surrounding this case. |
"Any right thinking person will find no honour in what has occurred - only grief, tragedy and shame. There are no winners here." | "Any right thinking person will find no honour in what has occurred - only grief, tragedy and shame. There are no winners here." |
Begum family members had to jump from a window to safety | |
Mr Ahmed's brother Mohammed Foaz Ahmed and a close friend Jabed Ali, who are thought to have fled to Bangladesh, are still being hunted by police in connection with the arson attack. | |
Abdul Mumin, Alisha's brother, said the girl had died "a horrible death she didn't deserve". | |
"Alisha was six years old and was a nice young cheerful bubbly girl. | |
"She had her whole life ahead of her. She was always smiling and making us laugh. | |
"We have been totally devastated by her death and traumatised by what has happened." | |
They and their friends set about trying to kill us Abdul Mumin, Alisha's brother | |
He said the relationship between Abdul Hamid and Meherun Khanum had consisted of a few phone calls and a couple of meetings in public places. | |
"These people have chosen not to speak to us about the problem they had with the relationship. | |
"Instead they and their friends set about trying to kill us and all they succeeded in doing was killing our younger sister." | |
'Got it wrong' | |
Shortly before midnight on 9 March a masked figure burst through the front door of the Begum home and sprayed petrol in the hallway before lighting a match, the trial heard. | |
The flames spread upstairs and family members had to jump from an upstairs window to safety. | |
Alisha, who was in her bunk bed, was found by firefighters and died in hospital the following day. | Alisha, who was in her bunk bed, was found by firefighters and died in hospital the following day. |
Tuzzio and Mr Ahmed had denied murder and nine counts of attempted murder. | Tuzzio and Mr Ahmed had denied murder and nine counts of attempted murder. |
As Tuzzio was convicted his mother, who had claimed he was with her on the night of the fire, exclaimed in court: "Please God no, you have got it wrong, please God." |