A Wealdstone man who helped to blow up his friend’s Leicester kebab shop in an explosion that killed the chef has been jailed.

Shabaaz Khan, 25, of Stuart Road, and Mehwish Yasin, 25, of Birmingham, told Leicester Crown Court that they planned to start a small fire as part of an insurance scam at Kams King of the Grill in Narborough Road on August 29 last year.

But the huge explosion destroyed the shop, and the body of chef Fiaz Ahmed Ansari, 40, who owned a share in the business, was found in the rubble by police during the clearance of the site.

The court heard that Mr Ansari had recruited the duo in the plan to torch the building, but was still inside when the explosion happened, sending debris flying across the street.

A forensics expert told the court up to 17 litres of petrol could have been used to start the fire.

 

CCTV footage of the explosion in the early hours of August 29, 2011.

Father-of-two Mr Ansari, was heavily in debt and had told his wife that the restaurant was not making any money and would have to be sold, prosecutors said.

At the court yesterday, Khan and Yasin were found guilty of manslaughter and arson reckless as to endanger life, and were both jailed for eight years.

Khan had claimed that he was a look-out for the plan and was in an alley outside when the building exploded. Yasin had dropped off the duo in a car and waiting in a neighbouring road.

Detective Chief Inspector Mick Beattie, of Leicestershire Police, said: “The death of Mr Ansari will not only affect his family but two other families will have to live with the consequences of the defendants’ actions.”