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'Do the right thing' - Officer calls for people responsible for Wolverhampton fatal house fire to give themselves up as family pay tribute to son.

Police have issued an appeal to a person who they believe started a fire at a family home in Wolverhampton to 'do the right thing' and give themselves up.

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It comes as dramatic CCTV footage of someone breaking a window at the house in Plascom Road, East Park, in Wolverhampton, at around 1.10am on Tuesday June 25 and starting the fire has been released in a bid to jog people's memories.

Akashdeep Singh, aged 26, who was inside the property, died as result of injuries sustained in the blaze, prompting police to launch a murder investigation. Two other family members – a A 52-year-old woman and a 16-year-old boy – are still seriously ill in hospital. Two men, one in his 50s, and a second in his 20s were discharged from hospital after being treated for minor injuries.

Detective Superintendent Shaun Edwards says he has a team of over 100 officers working on the case and studying CCTV footage and is urging whoever they believe broke the window and used an accelerant to start the fire to come forward.

He is also hoping people in the area will come forward or remember the day as it was the morning before England played Slovenia in the European Championships.

Detective Superintendant: Shaun Edwards. has urged members of the public and the people behind the fire at Plascom Road East Park last month.

DS Edwards said: "We re working 24 hours a day on this case – a young man has died and two people remain in hospital – I can only imagine what the family are going through at this time.

"CCTV is being reviewed as part of the on-going enquiries and we continue to have extra police on patrol in the area who people can talk to if they have concerns.

"The footage we have published is harrowing and clear – it clearly shows someone banging and smashing the windows five or six times, emptying some kind of liquid into the house and starting the fire.

It must have taken some planning and make no mistake we are looking at all the evidence around that and whether it was a targeted attack as some of the evidence including the CCTV leads us to believe it may have been.

"Most people would have been asleep at around 1am in the morning but there must be people who heard the smashing and may have seen the incident or the person running off. Or they may have seen some unusual activity in the hours leading up to the fire or afterwards. There memories may be jogged as it was the day England were playing in the Euros, people sometimes remember things around that.

"Make no mistake myself and the team are working night and day to find the people responsible but we need the public's help.

"We'd like to thank the many people who have already spoken to us as part of our investigation but we'd also urge anyone who does think they can help to get in contact as their information may prove vital."

Police at the scene of the house fire in Placomb Road Wolverhampton on June 25

Meanwhile, Mr Singh's family paid tribute to him today, calling him a 'a kind, helpful, and deeply religious person.'

They said: “His loss brings us immense pain that will remain with us for the rest of our lives.

"A true hero, our precious son, whose boundless kindness, infectious laughter, and unwavering love filled our lives with immeasurable joy his memory will forever be cherished, and the depth of his absence is profoundly felt every single day.”

Anyone who can help can call the police 101, or message via Live Chat on the website, quoting log 218 of 25 June.

A major police incident portal has also been set up at https://mipp.police.uk/operation/20HQ23N44-PO1 or to report anonymously call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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