Teenagers flee after throwing fireworks into pensioner’s house starting deadly blaze

Two teenagers have been jailed for manslaughter after a pensioner died as a result of fireworks thrown into his house.

Robert Price, 76, died after sustaining injuries in the fire that followed at his home in Oval Road North, Dagenham on Saturday 27 July 2024.

Videos showed a 16-year-old boy throwing fireworks through cardboard covering up a broken window at Price’s house in Dagenham while Nathan Otitodilchukwu, 18, accompanied him. The incident was captured on CCTV and doorbell camera footage that helped identify the two teens.

The pair appeared at the Old Bailey on 2 June (Monday). Otitodilchukwu was sentenced to six years in prison while the 16-year-old, who cannot be named, received two years and eight months.