Islington man admits PETROL-BOMBING a migrant hotel after fire dog sniffed out his glove

Mark Neville, 65, of Pear Tree Street, Islington, pleaded guilty at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Wednesday to attempted arson being reckless as to endanger life, as well as possession of a lock knife and a stun gun. He threw a lit petrol bomb over a gate at the Thistle City Barbican Hotel on Dingley Road at 10:53pm on 24 September 2025, where up to 500 asylum seekers were housed at the time. Security staff extinguished the fire within minutes and nobody was injured. Neville is due to be sentenced on 8 December.

He initially told investigators he had spent the evening at a friend's house — a friend with dementia — before acknowledging he was the man seen on CCTV, saying: 'Go on then, f*** it, it was me.'

The case turned on forensic fire dog Simba, a nine-year-old springer spaniel, whose discovery of a discarded glove in a nearby bin yielded DNA linking it to Neville.

Detective Chief Inspector Paul Ridley said the attack was 'designed to terrify residents and the local community' and that Neville's actions 'could easily have caused horrific injuries.'