A MAN accused of petrol bombing a Swindon house did so after he thought black magic was used to arrange his sister’s inter-faith marriage, a court heard.

Sandip Rooprai, 21, of Penhill Drive, is alleged to have taken part in a revenge attack on 22-year-old Alpona Begum Rahim’s home in Broad Street, after she knew about a secret marriage between Sikh friend Pardip Rooprai, 22, and 29-year-old Hindu Gaurav Kapoor, on October 8, 2007.

The relationship was, at the time, not approved of by Pardip’s parents, especially by her father, who wanted her to have a Sikh marriage in India at a later date.

This caused family arguments until the newly weds fled to India in November 2007 until April last year.

Sandip together with Mukham Dogra, 18, and sibling Jasdev, 19, both of Cowdrey Close, Toothill, are said to have taken part in arson attacks on January 13 and then February 2 last year.

Winchester Crown Court yesterday heard on day three of the trial how the men started to plan the attacks at Sandip’s house in Penhill - the first on Kamlesh Vyas, the priest who married the couple at a Hindu temple.

This attack, on an address in Gilbert Street, Bristol, happened just 48 hours before the first petrol bombing in Swindon.

In a statement taken at the time by police, Mukham Dogra told officers about his role in the Bristol offence.

“He (Sandip) said black magic must have been used to have talked her (Pardip) into marrying – She was forced to marry him,” read prosecutor Ian Lawrie from Mukham’s police statement. Mukham had declined the option of a solicitor during the initial stages of the interview process.

Mr Lawrie went on: “He said he was going to petrol bomb ‘matey boy’s house’. He went up to the house and poured petrol through the letterbox – I held the letterbox open. He poured it through and lit it with a lighter and we just ran.”

The jury of five men and five women heard how petrol was taken from a green jerry can from the back of Jasdev’s car by Sandip, who was followed by Mukham, while Jasdev stayed in his blue Renault Clio.

Mukham and Sandip had been driven to the property in Jasdev’s car using his TomTom satellite navigation device.

The men have pleaded guilty to twice attacking Alpona's home with petrol bombs in glass bottles in Broad Street – firstly on January 13, 2008, and then on February 2, using a brick to first shatter a window before using a petrol bomb.

The Dogra brothers have pleaded guilty to arson being reckless as to whether life is endangered, but denied the more serious charges of arson with intent to endanger life.

Rooprai denies the first count of reckless arson in January, but has admitted the later offence in February.

All three men pleaded not guilty to arson with intent to endanger life after damaging a house belonging to Kamlesh Vyas, in Gilbert Street, Bristol.

The Dogra brothers have admitted arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered.

All three pleaded guilty to setting fire to a Ford Scorpio car, believing it was that of Mohammed Rahim, Alpona’s father.

The trial continues.