A stalker who tried to kill his pregnant ex-partner and her young daughter in a house fire has been sentenced to at least 22 years imprisonment.
Harry Owusu-Manu, 39, of New Kent Road, “refused to accept” the relationship had over and had a “misguided drive for revenge”.
He was found guilty of two counts of attempted murder, amongst other offences, following a five-week trial at the Old Bailey, on February 23.
The victim said she would “never forget the horror of that night” and that her “sense of safety and security” had changed “forever”.
He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 22 years at the Old Bailey on Friday, 3 May.
Owusu-Manu’s harassment began after the relationship broke down and he started posting derogatory and Islamophobic stories on Instagram.
In the early hours of Tuesday, April 25, he visited the victim’s Battersea home and pushed a flaming doormat beneath her door.
The woman, who is deaf and was pregnant, and her young daughter, were in the flat.
London Fire Brigade treated them for smoke inhalation. Their investigators would later establish the fire had been started deliberately.
Having failed to kill his ex and her children Owusu-Manu tried to cover his tracks.
He had already spray-painted a CCTV camera black and tried to dispose of the clothes he’d worn during the fire.
Officers identified the van used by Owusu-Manu and traced his movements from his home to the victim’s address.
Detectives also found footage of his distinctive orange van arriving minutes before the fire.
Police learned this was not the first time Owusu-Manu had made the journey. He’d carried out a recce in the days leading up to the fire.
Following his arrest hours after the incident, Owusu-Manu changed his story numerous times.
He even claimed he was at her Battersea home to stop someone else starting the fire.
But dash cam footage recovered from the van caught the moment Owusu-Manu visited the flat to start the blaze.
Another dash cam recording showed detectives where Owusu-Manu had attempted to dispose of the clothes he wore when starting the fire.
Owusu-Manu was arrested later on April 25, 2023, but refused to answer any questions put to him by detectives.
He was convicted of attempted murder, aggravated arson with intent to endanger life, religiously aggravated stalking and having a lock knife in a public place.
The victim said: “It was devastating that because of this man’s hatefulness I have lost so much that was dear to me. I have been deeply traumatised and can never forget the horror of that night.
“I’m just so grateful to the London Fire Brigade for rescuing us and that my children and I are alive. I truly thought that we were going to die.
“This has changed my life. Losing my lovely home and worse, my sense of security and safety is forever changed. I don’t know when I will ever feel truly safe again.”
Detective Constable Megan Gittins said: “It is no exaggeration to say Harry Owusu-Manu made his ex-partner’s life a misery with his behaviour. The victim’s home and new baby items including clothes, cot and toys were all destroyed.
“Owusu-Manu refused to accept that she did not want to be in a relationship with him anymore and set about causing her physical and mental harm.
She added: “He also showed extreme disregard for the lives of other residents who could have been seriously injured by his dangerously misguided drive for revenge.
“Owusu-Manu is a terrifying example of the threat women can face for simply wanting to end a relationship.”