A Washington man has pleaded guilty to setting a barber shop on fire with four people inside it, which caused serious injuries, including one man who was set alight directly.
Emergency services were called to Amed’s Hair Design on Stamfordham Road in the west end of Newcastle shortly after 10am on May 23 last year (2023).
The Great North Air Ambulance also attended and four people were rushed to hospital, two with serious injuries.
Dilovan Sindi, 40, of Sulgrave Road, Washington, Tyne and Wear appeared today (September 25) at Newcastle Crown Court.
Just before his trial was due to start, Sindi pleaded guilty to arson with intent to endanger life, attempted wounding and causing grievous bodily harm, which prosecutors accepted.
The court heard from one local resident who had been out walking his dog close to the barber shop.
The resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “I was walking my dog nearby when I saw three people coming out of the barbers.
“They seemed to come out but then they wanted to go back in. I thought there must have been a fight inside.
“All of a sudden there was smoke from the barbers and about two minutes later the guy came 20 yards away from the shop.
“As he got nearer you could tell he was on fire. It was really bad.
“I started shouting for him to get on the ground. I ran onto the road and tried to pat the fire out.
“I was patting him with one hand and had my dog in the other.
“A lady managed to get hold of a blanket but the real hero of the day was a truck driver who had a fire extinguisher with him.
“He just happened to be passing.
The man added: “It was so out of the blue.
“I couldn’t believe my eyes and it took me 20 seconds to process what was happening.
“When I did realise what was going on I tried to help as best as I could.
“I could also hear someone else shouting from inside the shop while this was all going on.”
Sindi will be sentenced in December and has been remanded in custody.
Judge Robert Adams said: “It is inevitably a custodial sentence of some length.”