Asylum Seeker Was Told The Leave the Hotel He Was, What He Did Next Left Also 170 in greater Danger

A Sudanese asylum seeker has been jailed for two years and seven months after starting a fire in his hotel room while around 170 people were inside the building.

Mohammed Abdalla, 28, started the blaze near the television and desk in his room at the Bradford Hotel in Hall Ings. The fire caused more than £4,000 worth of damage and put residents and staff at risk.

Bradford Crown Court heard that Abdalla had been told to leave the hotel on October 31 last year because of his poor behaviour. At the time, around 160 asylum seekers were staying in the five-storey building, with another 10 members of staff working there.

After being asked to leave, Abdalla remained in the hotel lobby with his luggage for several hours. He repeatedly demanded to return to his room, and staff eventually allowed him to go back upstairs.

The hotel’s fire alarm sounded afterwards. Staff rushed upstairs to investigate and discovered a fire in his room. Prosecutor Tayo Dasaolu told the court that Abdalla was sitting on a chair and smiling at staff when they arrived.

The court heard that the blaze began in the area around the television and desk. During sentencing, Recorder Ella Anderson said Abdalla’s actions had placed everyone inside the hotel in danger.

She described the incident as extremely serious, explaining that a fire in such a heavily occupied building carried a significant risk of serious physical harm. With residents and employees spread across five floors, the danger extended beyond Abdalla’s room.

Recorder Anderson praised the hotel staff for their response in tackling the blaze. Their actions were an important part of the response to an incident that put a large number of people at risk.

Abdalla’s lawyer, Imran Khan, told the court that his client had been in hospital with mental health problems 10 days before the fire. He also said Abdalla had started taking medication since being detained.

The defence raised those circumstances for the court to consider when deciding his sentence. However, the judge stressed the seriousness of the fire and the danger it created for the people staying and working in the hotel.

Abdalla admitted arson while being reckless about whether life would be endangered. He was sentenced to two years and seven months in prison.