Man jailed for Setting Ex-Girlfriend’s House on Fire

Bharat Gokani, aged 34, of no fixed address, was jailed for four years on Tuesday, May 7, 2019, after he set his ex-girlfriend’s house on fire.

He was sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court after pleading guilty to arson and being reckless to endanger life.

The court heard that Gokani set a house on fire in Park Avenue, Kimberley in the early morning of Monday, December 3, 2018.

The victim had called the police and had reported that Gokani was banging on her door and demanding for her to let him in. When officers arrived, the house was on fire and Gokani begged officers to help.

Police officers were immediately able to tell the victim and her father about the fire and they were able to get out of the house without any injuries.

However, the house sustained significant damage as a result of the fire.

The victim explained that her children normally lived at the property with her but they were staying somewhere else for the night.

However, Gokani would not have known that at the time of starting the fire.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Nottinghamshire Police said:

“Officers quickly alerted the victim and her father to the fire and they were able to escape without any injuries. However, the house sustained extensive damage.

“The victim told officers her children normally lived at the house with her – fortunately, they were staying elsewhere that night but Gokani would not have known that at the time of starting the fire.”

Gokani had been in a relationship with the victim, however, it ended several months before the incident due to him becoming violent.

Since the relationship ended, the woman said that Gokani had not left her alone. He had constantly been calling and texting her.

Gokani had also threatened the victim’s family on numerous occasions.

The spokesperson added:

“The victim said Gokani’s actions had a significant impact on her and her children and left the family feeling unable to return to their home.”

The Nottingham Post reported that after he was arrested and charged with arson and being reckless to endanger life, Gokani appeared in court where he pleaded guilty to the charges.

Bharat Gokani was sentenced to four years in prison. In addition, he was also given a restraining order with no end date in order to protect the victim and her family.