It was a disagreement that sparked terrifying fire scenes in a Newcastle barber shop, and almost ended in tragedy.
Dilovan Sindi walked into the gents hairdressers where he used to work armed with a can of petrol and a lighter. And after spreading the fuel around the shop in front of horrified staff and customers, he ignited the accelerant with devastating consequences.
Witnesses described seeing a “man on fire” run into the road after Sindi’s potentially lethal arson attack, which left him and another man with life-changing injuries. Sindi was today locked up for seven years and two months after pleading guilty to arson with intent to endanger life, grievous bodily harm and attempted wounding.
Now the detective who led the probe into his potentially fatal crimes has lifted the lid on the investigation. And Det Insp Rona Malessa, of Northumbria Police told the Chronicle it was amazing that no one was killed in the incident.
Dilovan Sindi, who admitted an arson attack in Westerhope
(Image: Northumbria Police)
She said: “It was really lucky there was no fatalities. It’s incredibly lucky that no one was more seriously injured. It could have been so different.
“It’s highly unusual for something so significant to happen on a mid-week morning somewhere that is a quiet residential area. It’s something that you hope you don’t see ever. I feel particularly thankful there were no fatalities.”
It was around 10am on the morning of Wednesday May 23, 2023, when police began to receive reports of a fire at Amed’s Hair Design on Stamfordham Road, in Westerhope, Newcastle. And at first it was unclear exactly what had happened.
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“On the day itself the call came in just after 10am, which is an unusual time for things like this to happen. People were going about their daily business and it’s quite a busy road,” Det Insp Malessa explained.
“We had multiple calls that day. Some reported an explosion, some reported a fire. It wasn’t initially clear what exactly the officers were going to face when they got there.”
And officers found a chaotic scene when they arrived at Stamfordham Road where firefighters were working with paramedics who were treating several injured people. Sindi and a man who worked at the shop were the most seriously hurt, both having suffered extensive burns.
Det Insp Malessa said the emergency workers first on the scene were instrumental in ensuring all those injured received the best possible care and that detectives were able to carry out a successful investigation.
“It was really unclear who was who at first. We knew several people were significantly injured, and there was a lot of witnesses,” she said. “It’s a real credit to all the emergency services that were there. We had firefighters and paramedics supporting the injured victim and the perpetrator. Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service also supported us in the evidence side of it.”
Emergency services at the scene in Westerhope in May 23 2023
(Image: Chronicle Live)
As four people, including 39-year-old Sindi, were taken to hospital people began piecing together what had happened and who was involved.
CCTV footage showed Sindi entering the barber shop with a can of petrol. He then poured the fuel over furniture in the shop. Following a struggle, the petrol was ignited by a lighter held by Sindi. This caused an explosion.
Det Insp Malessa added: “Sindi entered the shop, he told a number of people to get out. Then he went to the rear of the shop where the fire begins. I don’t know if he realised how dangerous the fumes were. He didn’t dose himself in fuel. He put it around the shop floor.
With their main suspect and a key witness seriously injured in hospital it would be some time before detectives could interview them.
“We weren’t able to speak to any of them for quite some time. One of the victims was in hospital for a really long time. It wasn’t until the October that we were able to get anything evidential from them,” said Det Insp Malessa. “We were able to establish quite early on how it had happened and that there wasn’t any risk to the public.
Meanwhile detectives had established that there had been a dispute between Sindi and the owner of Amed’s. Sindi, of Sulgrave Road, Washington, remained in hospital until the Easter of 2024. Following his discharge he was charged with three counts of attempted murder and one count of arson with intent to endanger life.
“He was actually one of the most significantly injured,” said Det Insp Malessa. “He didn’t get out of hospital until the Easter of 2024 at which point he was interviewed in police custody and has been remanded since then. That did delay things. Although we were quite confident who we needed to speak to we physically couldn’t.
“The North East has a national burns unit. The level of care they were able to provide is why both the victim survived, and the suspect survived to face justice. It could have taken a very different road had Sindi died.”
In September last year, as he was due to go on trial at Newcastle Crown Court, Sindi pleaded guilty to arson with intent to endanger life, grievous bodily harm and attempted wounding. The man who suffered the most serious burns is today still being treated for his injuries, which have had a devastating impact on his life.
“To this day he will still be receiving physio and ongoing treatment. It’s particularly unusual for someone to suffer significant levels of burns to survive that,” said Det Insp Malessa.
And while detectives do not believe that Sindi wanted to harm members of the public, his actions were so reckless he put a number of people at serious risk. “It must be recognised that although there was no threat that he wanted to harm members of the public, the risk to the wider public was huge,” said Det Insp Malessa.
“The fuel he was using was so volatile and as he realised, to his own detriment, he was unable to control it. His injuries are life-changing. He will be living with the effects of his injuries for the rest of his life. There were significant skin grafts that took place. And that was the reason his treatment took so long.
Det Insp Malessa added: “First and foremost we would like to pay tribute to the victims. They have been put through a horrendous ordeal and we hope that they can take some closure now that their attacker has been jailed. I would also like to thank our partner organisations Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service and the North East Ambulance Service who were so crucial to the emergency response on the day in putting out the blaze and getting those injured the appropriate treatment before transporting them to hospital.
“Dilovan Sindi’s actions on May 23, 2023, were utterly abhorrent and he caused serious, life-changing injuries to one of his victims. It is fortunate that we are not dealing with much worse outcomes given the seriousness of the attack that day.
“I hope this case demonstrates to the public that we will always look to prosecute violent offenders in our communities and do everything we can to put them before the courts and bring them to justice. I’m hoping the victims will see that they have had justice served.”