'Possessed demon catcher' torched parents' Leeds home and was dragged out by firefighters
A man who told firefighters he was possessed and had “captured demons” had to be dragged from a burning house that he had lit.
Amir Merrikhi refused to leave despite the upstairs of the Adel property being engulfed in flames.
He was spared an immediate jail sentence at Leeds Crown Court because he was “clearly unwell” at the time.
The court heard that a 999 call was made at 4.17am pm October 11, 2022, that a mid-terrace house on Wayland Approach was on fire.
The fire crew arrived 10 minutes later and could see smoke pouring from an upstairs vent and the glow of the fires inside.
The door was locked but they noticed Merrikhi laid on the sofa. They got his attention and he got up and passed the house keys through the window while he “muttered incoherently”, prosecutor Caroline Abraham said.
Having let themselves in, they spotted white powder across the floor and two three-litre bottles that Merrikhi said was “black magic”.
The 28-year-old said he would capture demons, that he was possessed and that his life was over.
He refused to leave the premises, so the firefighters forced him out. They found multiple seats of fire in the upstairs rooms which they were able to extinguish.
An investigation found that 100 per cent of the upstairs was affected by the fire, and there had been several starting points.
Merrikhi has no previous convictions. He admitted a charge of arson.
Mitigating, Peter Byrne said that Merrikhi lived at the address with his parents, but he had spent almost eight months on remand. He had been diagnosed with a psychotic illness and had drug issues.
A doctor’s report found that he had “no morbid interest” in fire. Mr Byrne said Merrikhi wanted to work with his father in a family-owned pizza business to help occupy his time.
Judge Tahir Khan KC told Merrikhi: “It’s clear to me from the report that you were not well at the time.
“A prison sentence is an appropriate sentence in this case, however, you were unwell . It’s clear to me that but for your mental state at the time you probably would not have behaved in the way that you did.”
He said that due to this, there could be a “certain amount of leniency”.
He handed him 14 months’ jail, suspended for 24 months, with a mental-health treatment order attached and 30 rehabilitation days with probation.