Student dies and kills neighbour in flat arson

Written by Patrick Mills & Sam Millen-Cramer

A former Kingston student killed himself and caused the death of another woman after he deliberately set fire to himself, an inquest heard.

Ali Choudhary, 27, who studied mechanical engineering, was said to have been depressed and had doused himself and his shared flat in petrol before igniting the flames, which caused a huge explosion as his flatmates slept.

Carl Baiye, his friend of eight years told the inquest: “Before he died we met up for a coffee and he told me he was thinking about taking his own life, but I didn’t take it seriously. After I heard what had happened I was very shocked and I thought if I had acted differently, then this would not have happened.”

Choudhary’s housemates, Fareed Ahmed and Samshad Molohoo were forced to jump from the flat in Hounslow due to the intense heat coming through the door but the impact from landing on top of a phone box before hitting the ground caused Molohoo to die, the inquest heard.

Mr Ahmed was left unconscious and another flatmate, Hoang Huy Ngguyen, clung to a windowsill but also survived the jump.

Mr Ahmed said: “I felt there was an intense heat coming from the door. I climbed out of the window and held on and my wife was right behind me.”

“When I woke, I was on the pavement and turned my head to the right and I saw my wife on the pavement and people around her. That was the last time I saw her.”

Mr Ahmed described the events at a double inquest at West London Coroner’s Court, where it was ruled that his wife Mrs Molohoo was unlawfully killed in the fire.

He told the inquest that it was a ‘normal’ night and that Mr Choudary ‘kept himself to himself’ but that he had helped him fix his laptop the night before the fire.

“I had to get up to do my morning shift,” said Mr Ahmed. “In the night I saw there was smoke coming in from the door.

“Within a second I was up and then there was an explosion from the wall and bricks came out near the door.”

Detective Inspector John Mcquade told the inquest that witnesses from the property said that the fire was started in Mr Choudhary’s room, and that his depression was also known to his two brothers.

Concluding the inquest, Coroner Sean Cumming said: “Mr Choudhary started the fire which then killed him.

“I give Mr Choudhary’s death as a narrative conclusion and Mrs Molohoo was unlawfully killed.”