Qureshi set his shop on fire just after the Oldham riots

Khalid Mahmood Qureshi set fire to his own store in Oldham at the height of racial tension in the town, in 2001.

On Thursday, Qureshi was sentenced to more than three years in jail, for various offences including arson that recklessly endangered life.

He and two other men needed hospital treatment following the incident, which police said was designed to exploit the "racial tensions" in the town.

Manchester's Minshull Street Crown Court heard Qureshi set fire to his "A-Z Convenience Store" in Oldham on 12 June that year, for financial gain.

Qureshi committed this crime knowing full well the sensitivity of the climate in Oldham at the time Chief Superintendent David Baines

It was not until 1 November 2001 that Qureshi was arrested by police and charged with the offences.

Qureshi, 35, of Ashton Road in Oldham, pleaded guilty to arson, perverting the course of justice and obtaining monetary transfer by deception.

Speaking after the sentencing Oldham's divisional commander, chief superintendent David Baines, said Qureshi "took advantage of the racial tension in the town".

'Sensitive climate'

"[He tried to] mislead officers in what I would only describe as a cynical and calculated criminal act for his own financial gain," he 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."

Qureshi was sentenced to three-and-a-half years for the arson.

He was also jailed for a year for obtaining monetary transfer by deception and a year for perverting the course of justice, both of which will run concurrently.