Garage CCTV is damning evidence, jurors told

Sep 22 2006 By Jane Tyler

A MAN accused of murdering a six-year-old girl by firebombing her family home in Birmingham was seen buying petrol shortly before, a court was told.

A garage's CCTV captured Daryll Tuzzio filling a can with fuel less than two hours before the fire which killed Alisha Begum, Birmingham Crown Court heard yesterday.

The house in Bayswater Road, Aston, where Alisha lived with her parents and brothers and sisters, was set alight just before midnight.

Alisha, one of 12 children, suffered 95 per cent burns.

Tuzzio, 18, of Sandringham Road, Perry Barr, and Hussain Ahmed, 26, of Quinton Road West, Harborne, deny one charge of murder, nine of attempted murder and one of arson with intent.

The prosecution claims that Ahmed, a dentist, ordered the attack because he was furious that Alisha's 21-year-old brother, Abdul Hamid, was having an "unauthorised" relationship with his 15-year old sister.

Tuzzio is alleged to have started the fire, aided by two other men - Jabed Ali and Mohammed Foaz Ahmed - who are thought to have fled to Bangladesh.

Adrian Redgrave QC, prosecuting, told the jury how the Total garage's CCTV filmed Tuzzio and Ali buying petrol at 10.25pm.

He said forensic scientists analysed petrol found in Ali's car, a petrol can found in his house and debris from the hallway of the blaze house. "All petrol companies, such as Esso, Shell and Total, use additives in their fuel which are unique to them and not found in any other brand," Mr Redgrave said.

"The forensic scientist found that all the petrol analysed came from a Total garage."

The trial had earlier heard how the day before the arson attack Mr Hamid received threatening phone calls ordering him to stop the relationship with Ahmed's sister.

(Proceeding)