Attempted murder charge laid after man discovered on fire in east London

ADVISORY: The following article contains graphic descriptions.

The first person to aid a man on fire near an east-end variety store said the victim was “covered head to toe in flames.”

London police investigators are still at the scene Tuesday, at the corner of Trafalgar Street and Admiral Drive. They confirm they are investigating a serious assault.

Phillip, who lives nearby, says he had pulled into the store just before 2:20 am. As he did, he told CTV News he noticed what he thought was a tree on fire. As he got closer, he realized it was a man.

As the man rolled on the grass, Phillip said he rushed to help douse the flames.

“So I threw the sweater on him. His clothes were literally burnt. There was nothing left of any of his clothes other than his shoes and I think his hat,” he said.Phillip, the first on scene to aid a man on fire, is seen near the investigation scene at Trafalgar Street and Admiral Drive on July 12, 2022. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London) Phillip called 9-1-1 and the man was rushed to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Tuesday morning, police investigators had taped the scene around the variety store and an SUV in a parking lot. According to Phillip, it belongs to the victim.

Officers were also placing investigative markers on a lawn in front of an adjoining townhouse complex.

Police have now linked the incident to another less than a kilometre away, on Royal Crescent where a grey SUV smashed through the bushes of a home around 2:30 a.m.

A witness told CTV News the people inside the vehicle initially fled, but later he said several were "handcuffed" by police.

Police have now said one man, 32-year old Bradley Joudrey of London, has been charged with attempted murder. Joudrey also faces charges of impaired driving and impaired exceed blood alcohol concentration.

Police say Joudrey and the victim were known to each other. Investigators say they had been involved in an physical altercation at a home on Noel Avenue prior to the incident on Admiral Drive. 

The victim remains in hospital in critical condition.