Arsonist who killed 82-year-old in Deptford jailed

 
Staff|Agency17 January 2014
WEST END FINAL

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An arsonist who killed an 82-year-old woman has been jailed for 13 years, police said.

Vietnamese Tuan Anh Le set fire to Giuseppina Fazzani's address in south east London as well as a neighbouring bar on May 29 last year.

The pensioner had lived in Deptford High Street almost all her life, having moved there in the 1930s when she was just three years old.

Until 20 years ago the property had operated as a family-run cafe and had been in Ms Fazzani's family for a number of years.

She continued to live there and was asleep in her ground-floor bedroom on the night she died.

The Old Bailey heard that, six months earlier, following an incident with the owner of the adjacent property - the XO Bar - Le had taken issue with the owner.

He was captured on CCTV footage on the night of the killing, driving up and down the High Street before getting out of his car and peering through the Vietnamese restaurant and bar's security shutter.

Shortly afterwards he drove to a nearby petrol station and bought kitchen roll and a can of petrol, before returning to the address and setting fire to the bar at around 1.30am.

Le, 23, then set fire to Ms Fazzani's address before getting back into his car and driving off.

The pensioner's niece, who was asleep on the second floor, was awoken by the smoke alarm but the heat and smoke prevented her from getting to her aunt and she had to be rescued.

Ms Fazzani was found unconscious beside her bed, having suffered serious burns, and was treated by paramedics at the scene but was pronounced dead at 3am.

Detectives from the Metropolitan Police's Homicide and Major Crime Command arrested Le three days later, but he refused to answer any questions during police interviews.

Le, of no fixed address, was found guilty of manslaughter and two counts of arson reckless as to whether life was endangered, and was jailed for 13 years.

He was cleared of two counts of arson with intent to endanger life.

Detective Inspector Nathan Eason, from the Homicide and Major Crime Command, said: "Josie, as she was known to her family and friends, would not have stood a chance of escaping the fire due to her advanced years and mobility issues.

"Having committed this reckless and despicable act, Le attempted to evade responsibility for his actions by claiming he was forced into setting the fires. The jury clearly saw through this complete fabrication and rightly convicted him.

"We can only hope that today's conviction can in some small way assist Josie's family to come to terms with her tragic and needless loss."

Following the trial, a statement from Ms Fazzani's family thanked members of the public who called the fire services that night and "undoubtedly" saved the life of her niece, and also thanked the emergency services.

It read: "The loss of an elderly loved one is always difficult. Guiseppina Fazzani was 82 years of age, still very much living her life to the full. To lose her in such a cruel, horrific and senseless way has been devastating for all her family and friends.

"However, we would like to very much thank the members of public, who on that night called the fire services. This act undoubtedly saved the life of our cousin, her niece. We thank the London Fire Brigade for all they did, always putting their lives at risk and the ambulance service for the care they gave to both our cousin and our aunt.

"Finally we thank the Metropolitan Police for their tremendous hard work and determination in bringing this case to trial and a special thanks to the family liaison team for their care and sensitivity in keeping the family informed of every development."

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