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Sentenced to seven years, a former restaurant boss’s bizarre disguise failed to hide a calculated attack on his old workplace, Daily Dazzling Dawn realised.
The Seventy One Indian restaurant in Poulton has finally reopened its doors this week, marking the end of a dark chapter that began with a calculated act of betrayal. Fakhrul Islam, a 37-year-old taxi driver of Desi heritage residing in Hemingway, Blackpool, has been handed a seven-and-a-half-year prison sentence at Preston Crown Court following a "painstaking" investigation into a late-night arson attack that nearly claimed multiple lives.
The Midnight Betrayal-While the public is familiar with the striking CCTV images of Islam in a bright blonde wig, new details from the investigation reveal the sheer scale of the risk taken on the morning of December 8, 2024. As Islam ignited the blaze at his former place of employment on Breck Road, he did so while a family and staff members were asleep in the apartments directly above the premises. The prosecution highlighted that without the split-second intervention of employees from the nearby Cube nightclub—who heard the alarms and physically assisted in the evacuation—the sentencing could have easily involved charges of manslaughter or murder.
A Failed Alibi and Systematic Tracking-Beyond the eccentric disguise, the core of the police’s victory lay in shattering Islam’s sophisticated alibi. Initially, the defendant claimed he was simply working his shift as a taxi driver, using his professional movements to explain his presence in the area. However, Blackpool CID utilized a combination of vehicle telematics and "painstaking" CCTV mapping to prove that his movements were not those of a driver on duty, but of a man methodically stalking the restaurant. Faced with a mountain of digital and forensic evidence that linked him to the scene despite the golden locks, Islam eventually abandoned his denial and pleaded guilty to arson.
Road to Recovery-The sentencing brings a sense of closure to the new owners of Seventy One Indian, who have spent over a year navigating the insurance and reconstruction process. The judge at Preston Crown Court was scathing in his assessment, noting that the attack was fueled by deep-seated "ill-feeling" and a personal vendetta. Now, as the community returns to the eatery, the focus shifts to the resilience of local businesses against such reckless disregard for life. Islam begins his lengthy term effective immediately, with the court sending a clear message on the severity of revenge-motivated crimes.
