Jailed: Forest Gate man who murdered 60-year-old in botched revenge arson attack

Jailed: Tyrone Jacobs
Met Police
Mark Chandler1 July 2016
WEST END FINAL

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A man who mistakenly burned to death a “joyous and lively” 60-year-old in a botched Christmas Day revenge attack has been jailed for at least 30 years.

Harbhajan Singh Rooprai was trapped in his burning Forest Gate flat after Tyrone Jacobs, 27, doused the communal hallway in petrol and set it alight.

Jacobs, who had rowed with Mr Rooprai’s neighbour earlier that morning, had returned to the Field Road property to take revenge

But, although his intended target managed to flee his own flat, Mr Rooprai died inside the burning building.

As someone who helped elderly members from the local Ramgarhia Sikh Gurdwara, the death of Mr Rooprai, known affectionately as Bhajan, sent shockwaves through the local Sikh community.

Today, Jacobs, of Ramsay Road, Forest Gate, was handed a life sentence after being convicted of murder and arson with intent to endanger life.

Victim: Harebhajan Singh Roopran
Metropolitan Police

In a statement afterwards, Mr Rooprai’s family said: “We have been left devastated and are still in disbelief that a member of our family has been so cruelly snatched away from us.

“Every Christmas, Bhajan would join the family for a commercial "Indian Christmas Dinner" but last Christmas, we were left waiting.

“Traditional Sikh weddings are usually a grand affair with festivities and celebrations lasting over a week, however the recent marriages of his son and daughter were sad and sombre affairs.

“Sadly, Bhajan was not there to carry out the duties and rituals of a father and his presence was sorely missed.”

Blaze: Firefighters tackle the blaze in Field Road
London Ambulance Service

They added: ”Nothing we can say or do will ever bring Bhajan back.

“All we can now do is hope and pray that justice will prevail and that we as a family will be able to find some sort of closure to the awful event that has devastated our family's lives.”

Detective Chief Inspector Steve McCabe, of the Met’s Homicide and Major Crime Command, said: "Jacobs was hell bent on revenge and causing further harm to those he had attacked earlier that morning.

“When setting the house on fire, Jacobs was well aware that many of the occupants could have been seriously injured or killed, and as a consequence Mr Singh Rooprai became the innocent victim. He had nothing to do with their dispute but died as a result of it.

"Setting that house on fire robbed a family of a much loved, caring father, and uncle, as well as a respected member of the community that benefited from the wealth of good he did on a regular basis.”

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