21/02/2026
One man has been convicted of attempted murder of a woman and child and a further four other men have been convicted of other offences following a house fire in Stoke-on-Trent.
Yesterday (Friday 20 February), the jury returned their verdict following an 11-week trial at Nottingham Crown Court:
Shakil Uddin 23, of Oldham, was convicted of attempted murder and arson with intent
Lukman Khan 24, and Riyadh Iqbal 23, both of Normacot, Stoke-on-Trent, were both found guilty of Section 18 – grievous bodily harm with intent and arson with intent
Muhammad Sufyaan-Shah 25 of HMP Hindley, Wigan, and Tayyeb Majeed , 23, of Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, were both convicted of Section 18 – grievous bodily harm with intent.
Prior to the start of the trial, Ali Abbas 22, of Normacot, Stoke-on-Trent, and Haris Mahmood 21, of Normacot, Stoke-on-Trent, both pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted murder and arson with intent to endanger life.
At around 4pm on 16 December 2021, Naveed Hussain, Bilal Ahmed, Kashif Ahmed and Ali Abbas had a fight on Kildare Street, Longton. Kashif Ahmed received a stab wound to his shoulder and went to hospital for treatment.
At 10.55pm the same day, a number of men went to a house on Beverley Drive, Bentilee, demanding to speak to Naveed Hussain. The men smashed the downstairs windows and poured petrol in the hallway near to the front door and outside near to the living room window.
A 31-year-old woman was struck on the head and set on fire. She received 65 per cent burns and was not expected to survive, but she did. She was in a coma for two months and has life-changing injuries that require continual medical treatment.
A 13-year-old girl received 15 per cent burns to her right arm and right leg. To escape, the woman and the girl, smashed the upstairs bedroom window and jumped out. The woman suffered a broken pelvis, broken ribs and a lacerated liver; she had to learn to walk again. They were both taken to hospitals in Birmingham for treatment.
The case required extensive work to piece together CCTV, digital evidence and specialist material to build a robust evidential case for each individual involved.
Prior to the trial, Naveed Hussain (below left), 32, of Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, pleaded guilty to violent disorder and possession of a knife blade/sharp pointed article in a public place in December 2025. Kashif Ahmed (below middle), 25, of Stoke-on-Trent, and Bilal Ahmed (below right), 26, of Normacot, Stoke-on-Trent and Ali Abbas, 22 of Normacot, Stoke-on-Trent, pleaded guilty to violent disorder.
