Brutal Blaze: Two men locked up for life and over a decade after deadly fire kills camp resident
Life for Murder as Deadly Camp Blaze Rocks London
Ionel-Octavian Stanciu, 37, a drifter with no fixed address, was found guilty of murder and grievous bodily harm on 8 July at the Old Bailey. After previously pleading guilty to manslaughter in March 2021, he was sentenced on 9 July to life imprisonment with a minimum of 31 years behind bars.
His accomplice, Petra Deliu, 52, also homeless, was convicted of manslaughter and grievous bodily harm. He received a 12-and-a-half-year prison sentence at the same hearing.
Horrific Petrol Fire Kills One, Leaves Another Scarred
The court heard how the pair deliberately set fire to a makeshift wooden hut at a camp near the busy A406 in London. This cruel act led to the death of 38-year-old Ionut Manea, who suffered near-total burns, and left another man with serious injuries.
“Ionut came here seeking a better life but died in horrific circumstances after petrol was poured onto his camp,” said Detective Sergeant Ian Valentine of the Met’s Specialist Crime Command. “These men’s deliberate actions destroyed lives and today they’ve been brought to justice.”
Chilling Details Of The Deadly Night
- Police were called around 11:45pm on 18 June 2019 after reports of a fire beside the southbound A406.
- Emergency crews found Ionut and his companion trapped inside the burning wooden hut.
- Ionut suffered almost 100% burns and died later in hospital; the other victim spent six weeks in a burns unit before returning to Romania.
- Deliu and Stanciu were arrested near the scene, spotted trying to flag down motorists, including a police officer.
- Investigators uncovered the pair bought petrol from a garage on Ilford Lane, doused the hut, and set it ablaze while drunk.
Why they set the fatal fire remains a grim mystery, but justice has been served for Ionut.
