A 17-year-old boy has been charged with murder and arson with intent to endanger life following a fatal house fire that claimed the life of a pensioner in Dagenham, Essex. The teenager is set to appear in court today.
The charges stem from an incident that occurred on Saturday, 27 July, in Oval Road North, Dagenham. A man in his 70s was pronounced dead at the scene. His family has been informed, though formal identification is still pending.
Police are continuing to appeal for witnesses and information related to the incident. A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said, “If you were in the area of Oval Road North between 5 PM and 6 PM on Saturday, July 27, and saw the incident or the events surrounding the incident, please get in touch.
Authorities are particularly interested in any dashcam footage from drivers who were passing through the area around the time of the incident. Any drivers who were passing through the area around that time and may have captured anything on dashcam are also urged to contact police. If you have information that could assist, then please contact officers on 101 or ‘X’ @MetCC and quote CAD5619/27Jul. You can also provide information anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. If you have footage to upload, you can do that here.”
The 17-year-old male will appear in custody at Barkingside Magistrates’ Court today (July 31). Another male, who was arrested in connection with the investigation, has been released on bail pending further inquiries.
