8:00am Saturday 16th May 2009
A SWINDON woman has described the moment her home was engulfed in flames after a petrol bomb attack.
Alpona Begum Rahim, 22, of Broad Street, was in bed when the house she was living in with her parents and younger sister was struck for the second time in three weeks.
She revealed her horror at not being able to get to her sister Rahima and dad Mohammed because of thick smoke in the hallway just after 1am on February 2, last year.
They later managed to escape after Mohammed lifted Rahima out of a rear window.
“I heard a loud bang followed by an immediate smash and a further bang,” said a police statement from Alpona, read by prosecutor Ian Lawrie to Winchester Crown Court.
“I screamed ‘they’ve done it again’. I left the bedroom but couldn’t get any further than the hallway as the smoke was too thick.”
The court heard how Alpona dialled 999 and waited for firefighters to help them make a dramatic escape, with mum Sajaha, after they smashed their way in.
The prosecution say Sandip Rooprai, 21, of Penhill Drive, together with Mukham Dogra, 18, and sibling Jasdev, 19, both of Cowdrey Close, Toothill, took part both attacks.
A number of pieces of evidence were put forward by the prosecution. Former Honda worker Sandip is said to have used gloves from his workplace in three of the seven counts he is charged with. Fabric from the gloves was used in the making of the petrol bombs, it is said.
Crime Scene Investigator Tracey Alexander told the court that she found a brick on the mat, also a broken bottle and wick in the front lounge of Alpona’s home in February.
A separate wick was found on the ground in the forecourt of the house in Broad Street.
Forensic scientist Julyan Isaac’s statement said it was clear the brick had been thrown through a window.
Then the court heard how Jasdev’s computer was examined by Wiltshire Police. Officers found that under the user profile – “Sandip”, standing for Sandip Dogra and not Sandip Rooprai – an item at thisisswindon.co.uk website had been viewed entitled “Police Investigate Second Fire at Petrol Bomb House”, and put in a hidden file.
Also a fragment of text data showed a question which read: “How does one go about making a petrol bomb?”
Mobile phone intelligence analysis was conducted by Maxine Carter on each of the defendant’s mobile phone records. It showed calls were made between the men in the hours before and after the offences took place in Swindon.
The men have pleaded guilty to twice attacking Alpona's home with petrol bombs in glass bottles in Broad Street - firstly on January 13, 2008, and then on February 2, using a brick to first shatter a window before using a petrol bomb.
The Dogra brothers have pleaded guilty to arson being reckless as to whether life is endangered, but denied the more serious charges of arson with intent to endanger life.
Rooprai denies the first count of reckless arson in January, but has admitted the offence in February later.
All three men pleaded not guilty to arson with intent to endanger life after damaging a house belonging to Kamlesh Vyas, in Gilbert Street, Bristol.
The Dogra brothers have admitted arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered.
All three pleaded guilty to setting fire to a Ford Scorpio believing it was that of Mohammed Rahim, Alpona’s father.
The case continues.
Story so far: WINCHESTER Crown Court has heard how Alpona Begum Rahim knew about a secret inter-faith marriage between 22-year-old Sikh Pardip Rooprai and Hindu Gaurav Kapoor, 29, on October 8, 2007.
This relationship was, at the time, not approved of by Pardip’s parents, especially by her father, who wanted a Sikh marriage in India. This caused family feuds until the newly weds fled to India in November 2007 until April last year.
Defence counsel Peter Rowlands, representing Sandip Rooprai, say Pardip and Gaurav were still happily married and relatives on both sides have now welcomed the pair into each family.
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