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Murder charge two years after fatal Sunderland fire

Northumbria Police Patryk MortimerNorthumbria Police
Patryk Mortimer was found unconscious in the former care home

A man has been charged with murder two years after a fatal fire in Sunderland.

Patryk Mortimer was found unconscious in a building that previously housed Manor House Care Home, in Easington Lane, on 3 November 2018.

The 39-year-old, who lived at the premises, was discovered just before 03:00 GMT and died a short time later in hospital.

Declan Lancaster, 23, of no fixed abode, will appear before magistrates in Sunderland on Friday.

Det Ch Insp Ed Small, of Northumbria Police, said officers continue to carry out a "large-scale and complex investigation" which has involved viewing hundreds of hours of CCTV footage and speaking to "dozens" of people.

Nine other people were brought out of the property by firefighters.

Northumbria Police The inside of the fire-damaged buildingNorthumbria Police
Pictures released by police show the scale of fire damage
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