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Mehmet Ozer: ‘He was a good person,’ said an uncle |
INQUEST FAILS TO END DEATH BLAZE RIDDLE
Police rule out murder or arson but cause of fire remains mystery
FIRE investigators believe a blaze that killed a teenager was started deliberately – but they don’t know by whom, an inquest heard yesterday (Thursday).
Police probing the death of Mehmet Ozer, 17, who was found with his body in flames, have ruled out murder or arson but St Pancras Coroner’s Court heard that it remained hard to explain how the fire could have started accidentally.
The inquest heard Mehmet had been subject to threats by other youths in a row over a girl, although they had not led to a police investigation because of a lack of solid evidence.
Mehmet was the only known witness to the fire but relatives, speaking after the hearing, were clear that he would not have started the blaze himself.
Mehmet was found in the front garden of his family’s home in Ecclesbourne Road, Canonbury, in the early hours of September 27 last year. He was conscious but his body was in flames and he had suffered severe burns to his face, arms, neck and thighs.
Paramedics took him to hospital but he died four weeks later after suffering cardiac arrest.
Detective Inspector Simon Ellershaw said it was known that Mehmet had been in dispute with another teenager, named in court as ?Mehmet Parin, over a girl called “Gulizal”.
“It was reported by the family that he [Mehmet Ozer] had received these threats and had been doing so for some time,” said DI Ellershaw.
But he told the court that Mr Parin was in no way responsible for the fire or his death and that was not linked to the scene.
The inquest heard that fire investigators believe a “plastic biscuit” found at the scene was part of a container holding flammable fluid found on the front porch.
Other plastic bottles containing the same liquid were found under the stairs in his family’s house, the inquest heard.
Fire investigator Chris Williams said the same petroleum-based substance was found on the teenager’s shoes.
He added: “It’s difficult to explain accidental causes at that time in the morning. I believe it was a deliberate application which wasn’t expected to develop that way.”
Mehmet’s nephew, Nafi Baram, 17, told the inquest: “He used to get threats from other boys. I used to let him know what was going on so he knew what to expect. I have never seen him play with petrol.”
Coroner Dr Andrew Reid recorded an open verdict. He said: “A third party has been identified but there was no evidence that that third party was in the vicinity or anything to do with the fire from which Mr Ozer died. It would be totally speculative for me to reach the conclusion as to whether Mr Ozer deliberately ignited the hydrocarbon.”
Outside the court Nafi Baram said he had taken his uncle under his wing when he came to England to study. “He was a good person,” he said. “He had a good heart and he wouldn’t have done this to himself.” |
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