Sleeping family vulnerable as devastating blaze tore through their Wolverhampton home after arsonist struck, court heard

Three generations of the Singh family were asleep as an arsonist struck in the early hours of June 25, last year.

Akashdeep Singh, 26, and his mother Manpreet Kaur, 56, were upstairs as a hooded man smashed a downstairs window and sprayed an accelerate inside before lighting the final flame. 

Within minutes the downstairs of the Plascom Road property was ablaze as the thick black toxic smoke rose upwards with the flames not far behind causing panic and confusion for everyone inside.

The jury at Wolverhampton Crown Court, where Dale Francis, 37, and Daniel Tatters, 26,  are on trial for murder, attempted murder and arson, were told how quickly the blaze took hold after the arsonist started.

Prosecutor Mark Heywood KC said: "Akashdeep and his mother were trapped upstairs. They were overcome by the flames and smoke. Two teams of firefighters with breathing equipment entered the house with a hose to tackle the blaze. Within minutes, they were able to remove 

"Akashdeep and his mother from the house so they could be taken to hospital, but the mother suffered life-changing injuries. Akashdeep died as a result of his burns and the smoke he inhaled." 

Akashdeep's brother lived next door with his family and was woken by his wife who heard the shouts and screams next door. He tried to force entry through the front but cut his hand in the process, so tried the rear of the house where he found his father crying. They saw his mother and brother Akashdeep brought carried out the house by fire service and presumed both were dead.

Mr Heywood KC said: "During initial treatment at the scene, it was apparent that he had already gone into cardiac arrest. At the hospital the specialist burns unit assessed that he had sustained burns to 50 per cent of his body. 

"He was also found to be showing signs of hypoxic brain damage. He was conveyed to the critical care unit at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, but despite emergency treatment, he was pronounced dead at 8.49am."

Akashdeep was the popular operator of JD's Grill Land in The Orchard in Bilston and was well known in the community due to running the food business

Mr Heywood added: "His mother received CPR at the scene. It is documented that her heart had ceased functioning for approximately 25 minutes. She suffered flame burns across 50 per cent of her body. 

"She too was admitted to the critical care unit at Queen Elizabeth Hospital where she was treated for the burns and effects of smoke inhalation.

"The following day her right foot was ‘cyanosed’, displaying a blueish-purple colour caused by reduced oxygen in the bloodstream, and it was cold to the touch, compared to her left. Scans revealed that there was no arterial blood flow to the right foot and there was irreparable damage to the right lower leg due to lack of blood supply and oxygen.".

The grandmother battled on from her intensive care bed, where her burns were being treated, but on July 16 she developed life-threatening sepsis. Two days later following unsuccessful efforts to treat the lower leg, her limb was amputated above the knee."

She remained ill for months and still did not know in October her beloved son had died in the same blaze which left her with so many injuries.

Mr Heywood added: "The father suffered minor injuries. He was taken to emergency department at Manor Hospital, Walsall, where he was noted to have a burn to the uppermost layer of skin on his left palm and signs of smoke inhalation. He was later discharged."

"The son who lived next door was taken to Manor Hospital where he was found to have sustained a 2cm wound to his right wrist and he too showed signs of smoke inhalation. He was advised to have the wrist wound closed but left the emergency department with advice to seek such help when possible"

Both Tatters, of no fixed abode, Stoke, and Francis, of Clare Street, Basford, are charged with murder, three charges of attempted murder and arson with intent to endanger life.

The pair deny all charges, the trial continues.

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