Three men who murdered five people in a shop blast after plotting to gain a £300,000 insurance pay-out have been jailed for life.

Aram Kurd, Hawkar Hassan and Arkan Ali destroyed a Polish supermarket, owned by Kurd, on Hinckley Road in Leicester on Sunday, February 25 last year.

They plotted to use ‘many, many litres of petrol’ in the arson attack on Kurd’s supermarket, which destroyed the shop and the flat above.

The three men carried out the arson attack in a plot to gain a £300,000 insurance pay-out (Picture: SWNS)

Three women and two men were killed in the blast (Picture: SWNS)

Shop worker Viktorija Ijevleva, 22, was left to die in the explosion by the men because she ‘knew too much’ about the insurance policy, taken out less than three weeks earlier.




Ms Ijevleva, Mary Ragoobeer, 46, her teenage sons Shane and Sean, and 18-year-old Leah Beth Reek, who was Shane’s girlfriend, were all killed in the blast on Sunday February 25 last year.

Ali, 38, Hassan, 33, and Kurd, 34, were unanimously convicted of five counts of murder and a further charge of conspiring with Ms Ijevleva to make a gain, by dishonestly pursuing an insurance claim in respect of the fire.

Aram Kurd, 34, pictured, was sentenced to life in jail with a minimum term of 38 years (Picture: SWNS.com)

Arkan Ali, 38, was also sentenced to life in jail with a minimum term of 38 years (Picture: SWNS.com)

Hawker Hassan, 33, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 33 years for his part in the attack (Picture: SWNS)

Ali, of Drake Close, Oldham, and Kurd, of Hillary Place, Leicester, were both jailed for a minimum of 38 years, and Hassan, of Eld Road, Coventry, was handed a 33-year sentence.

Passing sentence, Mr Justice Holgate told Kurd, Ali and Hassan: ‘None of the defendants has shown the slightest bit of remorse for their wicked crimes. They were exceptionally callous and deceitful.

‘I agree with the prosecution that it is plain beyond doubt that Kurd and Ali were both centrally involved in the planning of these crimes.

‘It is plain from the way they both behaved in court and outside that they are highly manipulative and cunning individuals.’

Viktorija Ijevleva, 22, who was believed to have been working in the shop at the time, was killed in the fire (Picture: SWNS)

Sean Rajoobeer, 17 (left) and Shane Rajoobeer, 18, and their mother Mary, lived in the flat above and died in the fire (Picture: PA)

Shane’s girlfriend Leah Beth Reek, 18, also died in the explosion (Picture: PA)

The judge added: ‘The arson attack on this terraced building was exceptionally dangerous and put the lives of neighbours and other members of the public at a high level of risk.

‘The defendants caused an exceptionally high level of harm.’

Shopkeeper Kurd wept throughout as victim impact statements were read out and his mitigation was put forward.

Ali smirked as he left the court, while Hassan, who had showed no emotion throughout, looked at the floor.

A statement read on behalf of Jose Ragoobeer by the prosecutor said: ‘The events of that day have changed our lives forever.

‘All of our hopes and dreams for the future have been completely shattered.’

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