Man jailed for West Yorkshire arson attack

A man who set fire to a house in Bradford, killing a mum and her 2 children, has been jailed for a minimum of 29 years.

Asjid Mahmood, now 22, showed no emotion as he was jailed for life at Bradford Crown Court for the murder of Iram Shah and her children Alina, 10, and Aman, eight.

The children were killed when a blaze started by Mahmood swept through their home in Bradford last July. Their mother was seriously injured when she jumped to escape the smoke and flames and died later in hospital.

Mahmood's brother, Arshed Mahmood, 18, was jailed for 17 years today for three counts of manslaughter.

The judge, Mr Justice Coulson, told the brothers: ``To light a fire in the small hours of the night at the back door of a domestic property was an evil and a cowardly thing to do and had inevitably tragic consequences.''

The judge added: ``This was an appalling and horrific crime.''