Shocking CCTV captured the moment a paranoid schizophrenic turned himself into a human fireball after launching an unprovoked arson attack on a male model and his friend in a pub.
Mitchell Dean, 22, sprayed lighter fluid onto Russell Banks, 22, and Robert Laszewski, 21, before throwing a lit match at them.
Security cameras then show Dean become engulfed in flames when the accelerant splashed onto him as he sprinted out of the pub.
Dean was today jailed for life after launching the unprovoked attack at the Rainbow and Dove pub at 12.40am in Leicester city centre on October 25, 2011.
He was sent to a mental hospital indefinitely after he admitted two counts of grievous bodily harm at Basildon Crown Court.
He was placed under a restriction order which means he will not be released from a mental hospital without consideration from the Secretary of State for Justice.
Russell, who worked as a part-time model, spent three weeks in intensive care after suffering third-degree burns to 20 per cent of his body.
Surgeons removed skin from his legs and implanted it onto his chest and face but Russell was told he would be permanently scarred.
After the attack, Russell, from Sileby, Leics., said he felt 'pity' towards Dean, who also suffered major burns.
He said: 'I wouldn't wish what I have gone through on anybody, not even my attacker.
'I feel anger and pity towards my attacker - but mainly pity for the man who did this to me.
'He's totally changed my life but I can't go on feeling anger towards him.
'I can actually remember it very clearly - he came from behind and the next moment I was set on fire.
'There wasn't much pain but I was consumed with panic.
'My eyes were open and I could see the orange flames all around me.
'Once the fire was extinguished, I was absolutely freezing from the shock then it all went blurry - I don't remember anything till I woke from my coma weeks later.'
Dean, of no fixed address, also suffered major burns but did not seek medical treatment.
Russell was rushed to Leicester Royal Infirmary where doctors sedated him and attempted to open his airways which had swollen after he inhaled the flames.
Surgeons stripped the dead skin from his hands and arms before separating his fingers to prevent them melting together.
Russell still struggles to hold a pen and doctors warn he will be scarred for life.
Mitchell Dean, 22, sprayed lighter fluid onto Russell Banks, 22, and Robert Laszewski, 21, before throwing a lit match at them.
Security cameras then show Dean become engulfed in flames when the accelerant splashed onto him as he sprinted out of the pub.
Dean was today jailed for life after launching the unprovoked attack at the Rainbow and Dove pub at 12.40am in Leicester city centre on October 25, 2011.
He was sent to a mental hospital indefinitely after he admitted two counts of grievous bodily harm at Basildon Crown Court.
He was placed under a restriction order which means he will not be released from a mental hospital without consideration from the Secretary of State for Justice.
Russell, who worked as a part-time model, spent three weeks in intensive care after suffering third-degree burns to 20 per cent of his body.
Surgeons removed skin from his legs and implanted it onto his chest and face but Russell was told he would be permanently scarred.
After the attack, Russell, from Sileby, Leics., said he felt 'pity' towards Dean, who also suffered major burns.
He said: 'I wouldn't wish what I have gone through on anybody, not even my attacker.
'I feel anger and pity towards my attacker - but mainly pity for the man who did this to me.
'He's totally changed my life but I can't go on feeling anger towards him.
'I can actually remember it very clearly - he came from behind and the next moment I was set on fire.
'There wasn't much pain but I was consumed with panic.
'My eyes were open and I could see the orange flames all around me.
'Once the fire was extinguished, I was absolutely freezing from the shock then it all went blurry - I don't remember anything till I woke from my coma weeks later.'
Dean, of no fixed address, also suffered major burns but did not seek medical treatment.
Russell was rushed to Leicester Royal Infirmary where doctors sedated him and attempted to open his airways which had swollen after he inhaled the flames.
He was transferred to Nottingham City Hospital's specialist burns unit where he spent three weeks in a chemically-induced coma.
He was connected to a dozen tubes feeding him a cocktail of drugs - including morphine, sedatives and antibiotics.Surgeons stripped the dead skin from his hands and arms before separating his fingers to prevent them melting together.
Russell still struggles to hold a pen and doctors warn he will be scarred for life.
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