Mohammed Kosar, 28, was jailed for 16 years after he 'callously' poured petrol over a woman and set her alight in an alley after she turned him down

A Somalian man who doused a woman in petrol after she rejected his advances and left her to burn in a fireball has been jailed for 16 years.

Mohammed Kosar, 28, led Lithuanian Dovile Krivickaite down an alley in Forest Gate, East London, saying he want to speak to her before he threw petrol over her and set her alight.

Kosar then walked away leaving the then 23-year-old to turn into a human fireball and burn, the Old Bailey heard.

She was helped by rescuers who heard her screams and took a nearby house where they poured water over her before calling an ambulance.

Rebecca Poulet QC jailed Kosar for 32 years and said he had shown no remorse. She said: 'This appalling attack was premeditated and in my opinion you intended to kill.'

Ms Krivickaite suffered burns to 24 per cent of her body in the attack and said her injuries had 'changed her life forever.'

The Old Bailey previously heard Ms Krivickaite came to the UK in September 2012 and knew Kosar as 'Rocky.'

She saw him regularly but turned him down when he asked her for sex, it was suggested.

On October 19 last year she was picked up by Kosar and a friend on Rosedale Road, Forest Gate and taken to an alley off the road.

But once she got there without warning Kosar doused her in petrol with a five-litre can and set her on fire.

She was so badly burnt the skin was falling off her body and she has had to undergo several graft operations. She spent six weeks in hospital and had to be intubated because her burns affected her ability to breathe.

Ms Krivickaite suffered severe burns to the face, neck and left side of her body, and is still badly scarred after the attack.

The Lithuanian said she constantly receives sympathy because of her appalling injuries.

Kosar was arrested in February 2014 in connection with attempted murder and was convicted earlier this year.

Judge Poulet QC said: 'You had very regular contact with Ms Krivickaite, seeing her almost daily and sometimes several times a day.

'Ms Krivickaite has said she has no idea why you attacked her - she suggested it was maybe because she rejected your sexual advances.

'I have reason to believe you certainly had some attachment to her, asking her repeatedly before she got into the car why she had not telephoned you all day.

The woman was taken to an alleyway down off Rosedale Road in Forest Gate where Kosar set her on fire

'In my view it was not just chance that the car you were in had stopped in front of the alley - this was your chosen spot for the attack.

'You showed no regrets or change of heart when faced with the horrific consequences of your actions.'

'This appalling attack was premeditated and in my opinion you intended to kill.

'You have shown no remorse, although on the day of your sentencing before me you have said this should not have happened to her. Indeed it should not.'

Speaking after the case a Met Police spokeswoman said that Kosar was a drug dealer and the woman had been a customer of his. The pair are believed to have argued before the vicious attack.

Kosar was arrested as he left his home address in West Ham in east London and police found heroin and crack cocaine at his house.

On arrival at the police station Kosar admitted he had a cocked 9mm PAK blank pistol stuffed down his pants.

He has a series previous convictions - including armed robbery - since he was 15.

Kosar was sentenced to 16 years in prison for the attempted murder.

He was also convicted of one count of possession of a firearm and sentenced to five years, one of intent to endanger life and sentenced to a further 10 years in prison. He was given three years in prison for four charges of possessing ammunition, and seven years for three charges of possession of class A drugs. The judge said all the sentences were to run concurrently with each other and the life sentence.

Detective Inspector John Reynolds of Newham Police who led the investigation said: 'Kosar is a dangerous individual who callously poured petrol over the female and set her on fire.