A TEENAGER who set fire to a family home killing a six-year-old girl has been found guilty of manslaughter and arson at Birmingham Crown Court.
18-year-old Daryl Tuzzio (pictured right), from Perry Barr, Birmingham deliberately targeted the family home in revenge against 21-year-old Abdul Hamid who was dating his co-accused’s 15-year-old sister.
He was cleared of murder but convicted of manslaughter and arson.
His co-accused Hussain Ahmed, 26, of Harborne, who was accused of plotting the fire, was acquitted by the jury.
Six-year-old Alisha Begum died in hospital a day after the attack on her family home.
While other family members managed to escape their blazing home by jumping out a bedroom window, Alisha remained in the house. She was found by firefighters and rushed to hospital.
The trial, which lasted for two weeks, heard the arson attack was an ‘honour’ related killing against 21-year-old Abdul Hamid.
Prosecutors claimed Hussain Ahmed plotted the attack after disapproving of his sisters’ relationship with Alisha’s older brother Abdul.
Despite warnings to put an end to the relationship, Alisha’s brother refused.
The arson attack, prosecutor Adrian Redgrave claimed was a way to warn Mr Hamid into ending the relationship.
24 hours before the arson attack, Mr Hamid had received a threatening phone call, the court was told.
Alisha, the youngest of 12 children was asleep in her bunk bed when a masked man burst through the front door and poured petrol in the hallway before lighting a match, Mr Redgrave said.
The blaze quickly spread up the stairs and family members were forced to jump out of windows to escape the raging fire.
Alisha was found by firefighters but died at Birmingham’s Children’s Hospital the next day.
Det Sgt Stuart Kidd, of West Midlands Police, said after the conviction: “West Midlands police would like to say that this investigation has been a result of a vindictive and malicious crime that resulted in the tragic death of a young girl and a number of other members of the family suffering horrendous injuries.
“Much has been said and made of so-called ‘honour’ in circumstances surrounding this case. A right-thinking person will find no honour in what has occurred – only grief, tragedy and shame. There’s no winners here,” he added.
Arson death linked to relationship
Six-year-old “innocent” victim
Updated: 17:27, Tuesday September 19, 2006
Six-year-old “innocent” victim
Updated: 17:27, Tuesday September 19, 2006
A SIX-YEAR-OLD girl who was killed after an arson attack on her home was the innocent victim of an attempt to scare her brother into ending his relationship with a girl, a court has heard.
Alisha Begum, (pictured right)Birmingham was firebombed. died in March this year after her family home in Aston,
She was the only victim of the fire after her mother and brothers and sisters escaped the blaze after breaking a window to escape.
Hussain Ahmed, 26, of Harborne, and Daryll Tuzzio, 18, from Perry Barr deny murder and the attempted murder of nine of Alisha’s relatives.
The court was told Alisha’s older brother Abdul Hamid, 21, had started a relationship with Mr Ahmed’s 15-year-old sister Meherun Khanum.
But the girls family disapproved of the relationship.
The arson attack, prosecutor Adrian Redgrave claimed was a way to warn Mr Hamid into ending his relationship with the accused’s sister.
24 hours before the arson attack, Mr Hamid had received a threatening phone call, the court was told.
Alisha, the youngest of 12 children was asleep in her bunk bed when a masked man burst through the front door and poured petrol in the hallway before lighting a match, Mr Redgrave said.
The blaze quickly spread up the stairs and family members were forced to jump out of windows to escape the raging fire.
Alisha was found by firefighters but died at Birmingham’s Children’s Hospital the next day.
Mr Redgrave also told the court two other men, Mr Ahmed’s brother, Mohammed Foaz Ahmed, and a close friend, Jabed Ali, were wanted in connection with the incident but had subsequently disappeared.
He added although there was no evidence that Mr Ahmed was at the scene of the attack, it was clear he had directed the attack.
The trial continues.
