Two men convicted for killing man by setting fire to hut in Ilford

Ionel-Octavian Stanciu and Petra Deliu were convicted yesterday (credit: Met Police)

Two men have been convicted after petrol was poured over a makeshift camp and set alight in Ilford, killing a man.

Ionut Manea, 38, died after the two men, set alight to the temporary wooden ‘hut’ he was living in, next to the southbound carriageway of the A406 and deliberately started a fire in June 2019.

A second man was also seriously injured.

Ionel-Octavian Stanciu, 37, of no fixed address, had previously pleaded guilty to manslaughter in March 2021 and was found guilty of murder and grievous bodily harm with intent on Thursday, 8 July following a trial at the Old Bailey. 

Petra Deliu, 52, of no fixed address, was found guilty of manslaughter and grievous bodily harm.

The pair purchased petrol from a nearby petrol garage on Ilford Lane and walked to the makeshift ‘hut’ where they immediately poured petrol over the hut and ignited it.

Traces of petrol were found beside the only door to the hut and detectives say both occupants were likely engulfed in flames before managing to escape.

Both Deliu and Stanciu were drunk at the time of the act and the reason they set the hut alight remains unclear.

Deliu and Stanciu were arrested close to the scene after they were spotted attempting to flag down passing motorists, including a police officer.

They were both charged within the same month.

Ionut Manea, 38, was killed in June 2019

Officers traced Ionut’s next of kin to Romania and he was later identified via familial DNA.

The second victim was taken to a specialist burns unit and received treatment for six weeks before being flown back to be with his family in Romania.

Detective Sergeant Ian Valentine, from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command, said: “This is a tragic case in which one man lost his life, and a second suffered horrendous burns.

“Ionut Manea came to this country to seek a better life but instead he found himself living in a makeshift camp on wasteland close to a busy road. He died in the most horrific circumstances after petrol was poured onto the campsite.

“The actions of Deliu and Stanciu were very deliberate and today they have been held to account for their actions.”

The pair will be sentenced at the Old Bailey today.

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