A teenage girl who was trapped inside a people carrier as a thug set it on fire has spoken of her terror and lucky escape.
The 18-year-old was just seconds away from being turned into a human fireball when a group of men attacked the vehicle outside Basildon Hospital.
Three of her friends had earlier been stabbed by the gang near Zinc nightclub in Lucy Road, Southend, who followed their Mitsubishi to the hospital in the early hours of Saturday morning.
The girl, who asked not to be named, said: "Our mates got stabbed and we took them to hospital. When we walked out a couple of hours later these boys began throwing bricks at the car. They were trying to put the windows through.
"Everyone got out but I was trapped inside. I climbed into the front seat and I couldn't find the handle.
"One of them came over and started pouring petrol over the car. He slid the door open and started pouring it everywhere inside. I said 'please let me out' and he said 'go to hell'.
"I managed to open the door and about three seconds later it went up with a whoosh."
Published Friday January 30, 2004
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