British Sexpat Lights Vietnamese Woman on Fire After She Dumped Him

A British businessman who turned his Vietnamese ex-lover into a human fireball was arrested in Thailand after authorities suspected him of hiding in the Philippines.

On Jan. 15, Gary Iredale, 52, allegedly doused Nguyen Hang, 23, in petrol and set her on fire in a tailor shop that she owned.

british man sets ex-girlfriend on fire

Iredale was reportedly enraged after Hang admitted to being in love with another man and broke up with him. They had been together for about a year.

The victim sustained 70% burns to her body and is currently in a coma.

vietnamese woman burned

In response to the news, Iredale’s father, Roy, told the Daily Mail:

“If you do a thing like that, you have to stand by it and take your punishment.”

“It is so unlike him. He was the life and soul of the party, he always was. Everybody liked him wherever he went. I think he should hand himself in.”

His mother, Nora, could not believe it either:

“I feel sick and can’t believe it’s happening. I never thought he would do something like that. What has he done? I am heartbroken.”

Photo via xahoi.com.vn

According to his family, Iredale moved to Vietnam three years ago to teach English. He met and married an Australian woman in his travels, but they were already divorced.

According to local outlet GVTT, Iredale arrived on a motorbike and covered his face during the crime.

vietnamese woman set on fire in sexpat crime

Witness Alan Nicholls, who was shopping with his wife at the time, also spoke with the Daily Mail:

“It was the most shocking thing I’ve ever seen. This guy came into the shop, wearing a face mask, and threw petrol over the woman and the rest of the shop and set her on fire. It’s rocked the local community to its core.”

Photo via xahoi.com.vn

It appears Iredale became unstable after committing the atrocity.

“We watched Gary from our balcony chasing a stray dog, shouting all sorts of obscenities at the dog,” Ben Evans, who lives two floors below his apartment in Hanoi, told Philippines Lifestyle News.

“This led him to arguing with an elderly Vietnamese gentleman, who had absolutely no idea what the hell was going on.”

vietnamese woman in a coma after being burned

Authorities suspected that Iredale fled Hanoi to Thailand after the crime and hid in the Philippines. He was later found and arrested in Thailand on Jan. 18.