Bail refused to husband charged with trying to set his wife on fire

Coleraine Magistrates’ Court heard that while the victim has not blamed her husband Joseman Sasi Puzhakkeparambil, she suffered “life-changing” burns to 25% of her body, mainly from the waist up.

The 29-year-old defendant, who the court heard goes by the name Sasi, appeared at court by video-link from police custody and confirmed that he understood the two charges against him.

Sasi, from Oaktree Drive in Antrim, is charged with attempting to murder his wife on September 26 and with engaging in domestic abuse on the same date, intending his wife to suffer physical or psychological harm.

Objecting to the alleged would-be killer being granted bail a PSNI constable told the court how the Fire and Rescue Service had contacted the ambulance after their officers attended the couple’s home close to 10pm on Thursday evening and discovered that petrol or kerosene had been poured “over the building and the victim”.

“That caused an explosion,” said the officer, adding that when ambulance crew arrived they found the victim “with 25% burns to her body” and she was rushed to hospital where medics said she suffered “not life-threatening but life-altering injuries”.

Sasi was also present at the property but the ambulance crew “did not see any singe marks on him as would be expected of someone who tried to extinguish a person on fire,” said the officer.

He told District Judge Peter King NIFRS officers believe kerosene was the accelerant used to start the fire as there was a trail of it “along the hall to the front door”.

The officer also highlighted that kerosene differs from petrol in that rather than vapours being ignited by a spark, kerosene requires direct ignition.

A treating doctor has also said the alleged victim had suffered burns to her hands which were indicative of holding her hands up to try to defend and protect herself.

Officers spoke to her at hospital just before she was put under sedation and she told them she had been pouring car oil from one can to another, some had spilled on to her pyjama bottoms and when she used a lighter to see if it was flammable, it ignited.

She further claimed that Sasi had taken her bottoms off and put her in the shower but the officer said the complainant’s neighbours told police they heard what sounded like an argument with “a female screaming and an alarm going off”.

The neighbours reported “that they argued all the time” while the complainant’s work colleagues told police they believed she was being beaten and that she had turned up for work with black eyes on occasions.

Applying for bail, defence counsel Grant Powles argued that with the complainant having been spoken to twice by police, she has not made any complaint and even taking the police case at its height “we say there’s a considerable lack of evidence”.

He argued that Sasi could be granted bail but with a remand into custody until such times as he finds an alternative, suitable address.

Mr Powles submitted “there will be considerable delay” in the investigation and the case progressing so given the paucity of evidence and no history of domestic violence, Sasi was entitled to the presumption in favour of bail.

Commenting that attempted murder “is the most difficult charge to bring home in a Crown Court,” Judge King said because there was no suitable bail address at this point “I’m not granting bail”.

Remanding Sasi into custody, he adjourned the case to October 22.​​​​​​​