Arkan Ali, 37, Hawkar Hassan, 32, and Aram Kurd, 33, charged with manslaughter of five people

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Three men have appeared in court charged with the manslaughter of five people after allegedly starting a fire at a shop using petrol.

Arkan Ali, 37, Hawkar Hassan, 32, and Aram Kurd, 33, were arrested after an explosion destroyed a Polish supermarket and a two-storey flat on 25 February.

On Monday they appeared at Leicester magistrates court to face charges of manslaughter and arson with intent to endanger life.



Ali, from Oldham, Hassan, of no fixed abode, and Kurd, from Leicester, looked straight ahead as they followed the proceedings through a Kurdish interpreter. Each spoke only to confirm their name, age and address during the 30-minute hearing.

They were not required to enter any pleas, and they were remanded into custody until a hearing at the city’s crown court on 3 April.

Four of the people killed in the blast have been named as Shane Rajoobeer, 18, Sean Rajoobeer, 17, Leah Beth Reek, 18, who was Shane’s girlfriend, and Viktorija Ljevleva, 22.

The fifth person killed in the explosion on Hinckley Road, Leicester, is believed to have been Shane and Sean’s 46-year-old mother, Mary.

On Sunday a man in his 40s from East Anglia was arrested, also on suspicion of manslaughter. Two men also from East Anglia were arrested on Friday in connection with the case but have since been released under investigation.

