Four years in jail for Notts man who set ex girlfriend's house on fire

Bharat Gokani, of no fixed address, set fire to a house in Park Avenue, Kimberley, in the early hours of Monday, December 3, 2018.

Officers were called by the victim, who reported Gokani was banging on her door and demanding to be let in. When officers arrived, the house was on fire and Gokani begged officers to help.

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 that 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 which had ended several months earlier due to him becoming violent. The victim said Gokani hadn’t left her alone since their relationship ended and had been calling and texting her as well as threatening her family.

She added that Gokani’s actions had a significant impact on her and her children and left the family feeling unable to return to their home.

Gokani was also given a restraining order with no end date to protect the victim and family when he was sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court on Tuesday (7 May).