Wolverhampton family living in fear after two arson attacks in two days

Those are the words of a father who has called on the police to do more to protect him and his family after two attacks in successive days on their home in Wolverhampton.

West Midlands Police said the attacks are believed to be a case of mistaken identity and have asked anyone with information to get in touch. Chaudhry Ahmed, his wife Saadia and his two children, nine-year-old Azaan and 11-year-old Ahmed, have been left shaken and unable to return to their house in Jeffcock Road after it was twice broken into and set alight by attackers.

The first attack on Monday morning saw a window smashed and a gallon of fuel poured into the front room before the attackers attempted to light it and fled the scene.

Mr Ahmed, 40, said he had been asleep on Monday night when he heard a noise and described the scene that unfolded.

The 40-year-old said: “We were sleeping when we heard what sounded like a bottle breaking, something we have heard on the street, so we just ignored it.

“No more than five minutes later, someone started knocking the door and we saw the police outside, so came downstairs and could smell what we thought was a sewer leak, but turned out to be the fuel on the carpet. We only realised what had happened when we saw the broken glass and were told by the police what had happened, plus we were shown CCTV footage with something burning, then going off.”

Mr Ahmed said that the smell of the fuel had been too overpowering for the family to stay there and they had been put up in a hotel by the police. The police report for the first attack had suggested a case of mistaken identity.

But Mr Ahmed said: “I don’t think it was mistaken identity because they seem to have come the next day and started the fire properly after breaking a second window and throwing a cigarette inside.

“I found this after coming back the next day and seeing the window broken and, after opening the back door, finding the carpet on fire, which meant they must have been there just before. I called the fire brigade and they got here quickly to put out the fire, which could have been worse as it was near to the gas meter.”

The fire left a large area of carpet blackened, with floorboards exposed, as well as destroying the curtains and leaving huge black marks up against the walls of the rented property.

Mr Ahmed said the whole incident had left the family deeply shaken and upset and said he wasn’t happy with the police response to the second incident.

He said: “My children are scared and not able to go to school and I am unable to go to work because I need to stay with my family. After the second incident I spent an hour waiting for police to come, calling constantly as I was very angry, and it was only when the detective constable got here that she realised that it wasn’t safe for us to go in.

"To me, it’s attempted murder as if the fire had caught on in the first one, we’d have been finished because they had close to a gallon of fuel that they poured in.”

West Midlands Police have released CCTV footage a car pulling up at the house.

A spokesman said: “Detectives believe the arson attack may have been a case of mistaken identity.

“Anyone with information has been asked to get in touch via Live Chat at west-midlands.police.uk, or via 101, quoting 20/334090/22. Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”