A man who set fire to his own shop and falsely claimed he had been the victim of a petrol bomb attack has been jailed for three and a half years.
Khalid Mahmood Qureshi, aged 35, of Ashton Road, Oldham pleaded guilty to arson, recklessly endangering life, perverting the course of justice and obtaining monetary transfer by deception.
On June 12, 2001 a fire broke out at the A-Z Convenience Store, a shop owned by Qureshi.
He and two other people were taken to hospital and treated for smoke inhalation.
Qureshi told police his shop had been petrol bombed.
After an investigation Qureshi was arrested and charged in November 2001.
After sentence was passed, Chief Superintendent David Baines said: "Qureshi committed this crime knowing full well the sensitivity of the climate in Oldham at the time.
"He not only put his own life at risk but also the lives of two other people within the shop and nearby residents.
"His actions were reckless and could easily have resulted in serious consequences for those in the premises.
"Qureshi took advantage of the racial tension in the town to try and mislead officers in what I would only describe as a cynical and calculated criminal act for his own financial gain.
"A dedicated team of officers were asked to investigate this incident and considerable resource time and effort were invested in solving what turned out to be a bogus crime.
"I believe the sentence passed today reflects the seriousness of his crime."
Qureshi was sentenced to three and half years for the arson, 12 months to run concurrently for obtaining monetary transfer by deception and 12 months to run concurrently for perverting the course of justice.