‘Angry’ man jailed for dousing himself in petrol and threatening to burn down Kensington town hall

Ako Ahmed turned up at the council offices armed with a lighter and a five-litre can of petrol
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A man who doused himself with petrol and threatened to burn down Kensington Town Hall in a row over housing has been jailed for four years.

Ako Ahmed, 45, turned up at the council offices armed with a lighter and a five-litre can of petrol, having vowed repeatedly to “set the town hall on fire”.

Armed police were called to the stand-off, in the reception area, after Ahmed poured petrol over his own head and over the floor around him, causing council staff to flee in fear.

Even after his arrest, Ahmed continued to threaten to kill his housing officer, and suggested his accommodation problems had driven him to the brink of suicide.

Isleworth crown court heard Ahmed, who was granted asylum after moving to the UK from Iraq, was assessed by a psychologist and found to be “extremely angry” but suffering no mental illness.

“The fact is you were overwhelmed by anger”, said Judge John Denniss, jailing Ahmed for four years with an extra three years on licence.

“It was a revenge attack on a housing officer of a local authority in anger, having been made intentionally homeless. There is a high degree of planning and premeditation.”

The judge ruled Ahmed poses an ongoing danger to the public, and has shown a “complete lack of insight” into his actions.

Kensington Town Hall
Google

Ahmed was allocated a female housing officer in May 2018, but made an escalating series of threats towards her as she tried to solve his problems.

Prosecutor Irshad Sheikh said Ahmed issued a threat in December 2018 that “nobody in the offices at Kensington and Chelsea will see Christmas”.

In January 2019 Ahmed was told he had made himself “intentionally homeless” and could face eviction, and he responded by threatening to set himself on fire.

By late August, Ahmed’s eviction had been confirmed and he had been banned from visiting the town hall in Kensington due to his behaviour.

Ahmed made a series of threats over the phone, directing many of them at his housing officer who was told to work from home for her own safety.

On September 4, 2019, Ahmed filled a five-litre canister with petrol before heading to the council offices.

“At around midday he walked into the town hall customers services area with the container filled with petrol”, the prosecutor said.

“He poured some of the petrol over his head and clothes, and poured the rest of the petrol around the floor area and reception foyer.”

Security guards said Ahmed was “highly aggressive and threatening” as they tried to talk him down, before he pulled out a cigarette lighter.

“He demanded to see someone in charge”, said Mr Sheikh.

“Security guards evacuated everyone in the building, and police were called. The fumes from the petrol were permeating the foyer.

“The defendant was shouting ‘I will set the building on fire’.”

Ahmed was eventually talked down by police, and later claimed he had only not started the fire because he was told there was a child in the building.

The court heard he has been living a lonely existence in London, after his mother and sister died in a bombing in Iraq and his wife and child moved to Dubai.

The judge said he believed “unresolved grief” may lay behind Ahmed’s behaviour.

Ahmed was convicted at trial of threatening to damage property and making threats to kill, and pleaded guilty to attempting to commit arson.

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