Inside The Mind Of Hakeem Kigundu

"All the actions I am about to take are warranted, believe me". These were the words of Hakeem Kigundu just a week before the arson which resulted to the death of two of his neighbours.Warranted, has stated, a word that justifies a course of action.

The 32 year old Hakeem Kigundu, admitted pouring petrol over the ground floor of the home in Reading, Berkshire, that caused death of Neil Morris, 45 and Richard Burgess, 46.The fire also hurt two other residents, Laura Wiggins and Joel Richards.

Kigundu, a Ugandan national, who had just lost his job as a BT engineer because of his erratic behaviour in the workplace, was believed to be experiencing a series of mental breakdown, causing him to be anti-social to his neighbours. Late night Loud music, slamming of doors and his TV blaring led to complaints by his neighbours and this won him an eviction notice.

In the days before the fire, Kigundu, alleged to have entered UK with his brother’s passport and continued to stay in the UK illegally, bought 50 litres of petrol from three different fuel stations around Reading, a vendetta mask and a sledgehammer.

He outlined his intentions to harm his neighbours in a voice note and created an email address with the words “burn them all”.

The voice note recorded by Kigundu on 9th December 2021, stated his intentions to cause “death” of his neighbours at Rowe Court, Reading.

Kigundu drove to Reading police station as residents desperately tried to escape the burning building, confessing to his crime and claiming he had been ‘full of fury’ but now regretted his actions.

“I’m sure this was a premeditated attack made by the defendant in revenge”, said Justice Holgate in the sentencing.Furthermore he added: “ I do not accept that any real remorse has been shown- acceptance of guilt, yes, but not remorse.”Justice Holgate issued Kigundu with a ‘Whole life order’. Meaning he will never be released from prison, except in exceptional compassionate circumstances.

One of the former residents of the block, Joel Richards a bus driver, risked his life to rouse two people before jumping from a first-floor window with serious injuries. Mr Richards told the court he had seen Kigundu laughing from his car parked outside as the building burned down.

Prosecutor Alison Morgan said Kigundu planned the attack after growing angry about the fact his neighbours had complained about his anti-social behaviours and about losing his job as a BT engineer in the months before.

Lawyer Hayley Garey, of the crown prosecution Service, described it as a “premeditated and devastating revenge attack”.She said: “Kigundu, started the fire in the middle of the night when he knew it would cause the most casualties and deaths.

Kigundu pleaded guilty on 20th September 2022 to two counts of murder, two counts of causing grievious bodily harm and a count of arson with intent to endanger life. No minimum term was set for Kigundu’s sentence.

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