Arsonist burns himself as he blows the door off Hull takeaway

Jamie Bird, 24,was jailed for three years after he poured petrol through the door of the premises causing 15,000 worth of damage.

The blaze caused an explosion that blew the door off Mama Mia's takeaway.

Bird claimed he was put up to it by friends and was acting under peer pressure, Hull Crown Court heard on Wednesday.

The takeaway's owner Usman Bari said after the case: "I'm not very happy about the sentence. How he's got away with three years I don't know - it seems short for what he's done.

"People like this are not men - you don't burn somebody's shop in the middle of the night. He could have killed someone.

"It was a cowardly act and he is stupid if his friend put him up to it.

"My shop is back up and running now and I'm very happy about that. I feel like we have beaten them."

The court heard that Bird took a cocktail of drink and drugs before pouring a jerry can of petrol through the door.

The arsonist was caught after detectives saw him filling up a can at a petrol station prior to the fire in the early hours of July 8.

His DNA was also found on the remains of the petrol can at the scene.

When Bird, of Hull, was arrested he claimed his burn injuries had been caused by an iron but later admitted it was due to the fire.

Four fire engines and more than 20 firefighters tackled the blaze - the second arson attack on Mama Mia's in five years.