Man charged with murder following a fatal fire in Easington Lane

A man has been charged with murder following a fatal fire in Easington Lane two years ago.

On November 3, 2018, emergency services were called to the Manor House premises, on High Street, following a report of a fire which sadly claimed the life of Patryk Mortimer, 39.

Patryk, who lived in the premises, was found unconscious shortly before 3am and was pronounced dead shortly after.

An investigation was launched into the cause of the fire and a man has now been charged in connection with Patryk’s death.

Declan Lancaster, 23, of no fixed abode, has been charged with murder. He is due to appear before magistrates in Sunderland tomorrow (Friday).

Detective Chief Inspector Ed Small, of Northumbria Police’s Homicide & Major Enquiries Team, said:

“Our thoughts remain with Patryk’s family following this tragic incident which sadly resulted in his death.

“This remains a large-scale and complex investigation which has involved officers trawling through hundreds of hours of CCTV footage and speaking to dozens of people in connection with the incident.

“A man is now due to appear before the courts and I would ask people to avoid any speculation which could risk jeopardising those live proceedings.

“I would like to thank everyone who has already come forward with information about this incident over the last two years. If you know anything that may assist our investigation, and have yet to come forward, please do so immediately.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact police via the ‘Tell Us Something’ page of our website or by calling 101 quoting log 146 031118.