An Islington man has pleaded guilty to attempted arson after a petrol-bomb attack at a hotel that was being used to accommodate migrants and asylum seekers. The fire was extinguished by security guards and no injuries were reported.
Mark Neville, 65, of Pear Tree Street, Islington, entered his pleas at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Wednesday 28 October 2026, more than a year after the incident in the grounds and entrance area of the Thistle City Barbican hotel.
The principal offence he admitted was attempted arson, reckless as to whether life would be endangered. He also pleaded guilty to possessing a bladed article and possessing a prohibited weapon, a stun gun, in a private place.
Sentencing was listed for 8 December 2026 following the guilty pleas. No sentence had been imposed at that stage.
Fire at hotel entrance
The fire was reported at 22:53 BST on Wednesday 24 September 2025 in Dingley Road, Islington. Security guards discovered it and put it out shortly before 23:00 BST.
The hotel was accommodating migrants and asylum seekers at the time of the attack. It no longer accommodates asylum seekers, according to current reports.
Investigators said CCTV showed a masked man dressed in black lighting a petrol bomb before throwing the flaming device over a temporary gate towards the hotel entrance.
The investigation drew on hundreds of hours of CCTV footage. Investigators said they followed the suspect’s route away from the scene, tracing his movements to the door of a flat.
A clear image obtained from the footage was then shown to local residents. According to the investigation account, those residents helped identify Neville as the man shown.
Investigators also described two separate forensic links to Neville. Specialist forensic work linked his DNA to glass fragments from the incendiary device used in the attack, according to their account.
A forensic fire dog located a glove in a bin near the hotel. Investigators said Neville’s DNA was also found on that glove, adding to the evidence gathered from the footage and the device fragments.
Neville was arrested on Friday 26 September 2025, less than two days after the fire. The CCTV review, identification work and forensic findings formed part of the investigation account of the attack.
Investigation and guilty pleas
According to that account, Neville initially denied involvement and said he had been visiting a friend. He later admitted that he was the person shown in the footage, before making no further comment in interview.
Investigators said a review of devices recovered from Neville’s flat found searches and messages concerning far-right activists, migration and asylum seekers. They described the material as evidence that he was likely motivated by hate and anger about immigration.
That was the investigators’ assessment of a likely motive, separate from the three offences admitted in court.
He was initially charged on the day of his arrest with arson with intent to endanger life, criminal damage and other offences. The principal count admitted at the later court hearing was instead attempted arson, reckless as to whether life would be endangered.
The pleas entered on 28 October covered that attempted arson count and the two possession offences. The case remained awaiting sentence, with the December hearing listed as the next step and no penalty imposed at the time of the guilty pleas.
