Nurhak Sayak (Image: South Wales Police)
Last Updated: 3 minutes ago
A 27-year-old asylum seeker deliberately set fire to the house he was living in after learning his appeal to stay in the UK had been turned down — despite not knowing whether other residents were inside at the time.
Nurhak Sayak started the blaze at the property on Argyle Street in Sandfields, Swansea, on January 4, using a lighter to set items alight in the centre of his bedroom floor. He has now been jailed for four years.
The fire
Swansea Crown Court heard how fire crews were called to the address following reports of a fire. When they arrived, Sayak was standing calmly outside the building with his suitcase packed.
Dean Pulling, prosecuting, said Sayak was seen watching firefighters tackle the blaze and was even laughing slightly as he told a neighbour he had started the fire with a lighter because he was not receiving his money from the authorities.
An investigation found Sayak had attempted to start more than one fire in his bedroom, which Mr Pulling said clearly demonstrated his intent.
What Sayak told police
After his arrest, Sayak admitted starting the fire. He told officers he was an asylum seeker who had just found out his appeal had been rejected and said he had nothing else left in the UK.
He told police it was his intention to burn the whole house down, not just his room, but claimed he did not intend to harm or kill anyone. However, he admitted he did not know if anyone else was in the other rooms at the time.
Sayak was also found to have a silver knife in his trouser pocket. When asked why he was carrying it, he told officers he liked having a knife on him “because it was useful in case he needed to defend himself”.
The damage
Mr Pulling told the court the fire caused “extreme and substantial” damage to the room, with repair costs of around £15,000. A victim impact statement detailed how other residents had been forced to move elsewhere, leaving behind “possessions and security”.
Defence
David Singh, representing Sayak, said his client’s frustration at the immigration process was “no excuse” for his behaviour but said he had the good sense to plead guilty and accept his involvement from the outset. Mr Singh also told the court Sayak had worked in construction and catering in Turkey before coming to the UK.
Sentencing
Sayak, of Argyle Street, Sandfields, Swansea, had no previous convictions in the UK. He pleaded guilty to arson with recklessness as to whether life is endangered and possession of a bladed article.
Sentencing him to four years in prison, Judge Paul Thomas said: “You deliberately set fire with a lighter to the property that you had been allowed to live at as a refugee to this country pending an appeal by you on the refusal of asylum status. A number of people in a similar situation also lived in that address.
“What you did with your stupid action was to put them at great risk of being killed. You did not know if others were home at that time or not.
“You did not care whether they were there or not. You caused over £15,000 worth of damage which somebody else has to pay for and you caused great inconvenience and upset to the people in that house that were in a similar situation to you.
“What you did seems to be an act born of pure spite and the petty revenge against the immigration authorities in this country.”
The judge added that what happens to Sayak afterwards would be a matter for the authorities.
