A woman has been jailed for nine years after endangering 150 lives in a revenge attack for being sacked.
Noor Fatima, 24, was fired by Empire Cinema in Slough in July 2019.
Nearly five months later on December 1 she bought five litres of petrol that she took to the venue.
Former colleague Gufran Ahmed, who still worked there, let her in through a fire door.
She then poured petrol over the door at the back of two cinema screens on the top floor of the complex.
Noor then left the cinema to go and buy a lighter before returning to the scene.
Fortunately she did not start the fire but 150 people had to be evacuated after someone noticed the smell of petrol.
She was arrested the day after and Ahmed was taken into custody in February 2020.
Fatima was jailed for nine years for conspiracy to commit arson with intent to endanger life. Ahmed, 27, was jailed for eight years and nine months for the same offence.
Detective Sergeant Thomas Harman said: ‘Thankfully no-one was injured as a result of Fatima and Ahmed’s actions.
‘If the petrol had ignited, people would have rushed to the fire exit only to find that’s where the fire was and could have sustained serious injuries as a result.
‘Fatima and Ahmed will now spend a significant amount of time in prison, reflecting how serious this incident could have been.
‘Thanks to the cinema staff and members of the fire service, no-one was injured.’
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