Four jailed for bungled 'honour' killing blaze at wrong house

The gang's intended victim was a Muslim man who was having an affair with a married woman but they firebombed the wrong house.

Abdullah Mohammed, 41, and his wife, Aysha, 39, were overcome by smoke and fumes at their home in Blackburn, Lancashire, and later died in hospital.

Ringleader Hisamuddin Ibrahim, 21, who ordered the arson attack, was jailed for a minimum of 28 years at Preston Crown Court yesterday.

Habib Iqbal, 25, Sadek Miah, 23, and Mohammed Miah, 19, were jailed for minimum terms of 25, 21 and 19 years.

All four were convicted of the double murders.

Sentencing the four, Mr Justice Henriques said: "These were shocking and terrible murders.

"Two persons died; but for the speedy response of the emergency services it may well have been four or more.

"It is a most cruel irony that two such devout members of the community, both deeply religious, should have lost their lives to such a perverted and wicked act.

"It was intended to punish a man for committing adultery, swearing on the Koran he had not done so and then continuing to commit adultery.

"It is nearly impossible to imagine a worse case of arson than this."

The judge added: "You have wreaked devastation on a blameless, devout family.

"They just happened to live at an address one digit removed from your intended target."