Alim Kassam

Shamira Kassam, Zahir Kassam, Rahim Kassam and Alim Kassam died in a fire at their home in Oakwood Gardens, Ilford on 13 July 1985.

At their inquest, the Coroner said:

The police said that they questioned 200 members of the National Front and British National Party during their investigation and took 1,500 statements.

The inquest returned verdicts of unlawful killing in all four cases.

It was thought that their house had been entered by someone climbing through the kitchen window who then set the house on fire by pouring four or five pints of petrol around the hallway. It was thought that whoever set the house alight then left via the back door.

The fire was set at 4.55am on the morning of 13 July 1985. Minutes before the fire was noticed, a car was seen speeding away in Green Lane, just around the corner from Oakwood Gardens. The car was thought to have been an orange Toyota Celica, an automatic, made in the mid-1970s. The car wasn't traced.

It was noted that as neighbours were trying to rescue the family, four men were seen to stop in a red A-reg Vauxhall Cavalier car outside in the street and watch, with none of them making any attempt to help. One of the men was even seen to get out and watch the fire. The man was later seen at the front of the house holding a brick. However, the men were never traced and the police appealed for assistance in identifying them. A photo-fit of the man that got out of the car was later released by the police. He was described as:

• About 30 to 35.
• 5ft 10in tall.
• Well built.
• Mousey brown hair and moustache.
• Possibly wearing glasses with metal frames.

It was noted that there had been two previous arson attacks on the same house, the first being in December 1982 and the other on 16 June 1985.

Shamira Kassam had been pregnant at the time she died. She had been a Ugandan-born Asian that had fled Uganda.