Man jailed for arson at Leicester shopping centre

A MAN was sentenced to 34 months’ imprisonment after pleading guilty to arson following a fire at a shopping centre in Leicester last year.

Parvinder Singh (left), 28, was jailed last week after he admitted “arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered” when he appeared at Leicester Crown Court in April.

Businesses were destroyed in January 2019 blaze, leaving owners, staff and the community devastated, Leicestershire Police said. As the fire service tackled the blaze, police were also called to the incident, shortly after 10pm on January 6 last year.

Many people were caught inside the Belgrave Commercial Centre at the time of the fire.

Initial enquiries led investigators to determine that the fire had been started deliberately and an investigation was launched.

“This was a devastating incident for residents, business owners and workers in the community,” said Detective Constable

Gemma Allen of the police force. “Businesses were completely destroyed and it is extremely fortunate that there were no injuries in the fire. Lives could have been lost on that night because of the actions of one man.”

CCTV footage showed a man with a bag sitting on some crates in the area prior to the fire. The man was then seen to crouch over before standing up and walking off, with a flame coming from where he had been as he left.

The fire was then seen to ignite and the man left the area. The image of the suspect was issued in a public appeal and through leaflets, which were handed out in the area asking for information.

The enquiries led to Singh being identified as the man in the CCTV footage. He was arrested in October last year and was sentenced on June 29.

“I hope this conviction helps those affected by Singh’s actions as they continue to rebuild from the devastation that was caused that night,” DC Allen added.