A Plumstead male model who tried to set fire to himself and a petrol station courtyard goaded police to shoot him, a court heard.

Sumbo Koku, 23, of Villas Road, pleaded guilty to attempted arson with intent to endanger life after pouring petrol on himself and threatening to set himself alight on October 28 last year.

Officers were called to a petrol station in Artillery Place, Woolwich, to reports of a man threatening to drive his car into a shop window, Woolwich Crown Court heard today (June 24).

When they arrived at the Harvest petrol station they found Koku, who they knew from two incidents earlier that month.

Prosecutor Stephen Shay said: “An officer approached the defendant and he was immediately hostile, shouting ‘who the f*** are you’?

“The defendant then threatened to pour petrol on PC Cleaver and ran towards him with an aerosol can pointed in his direction.

“He then began to pour fuel on the ground around the petrol pumps.”

Officers told the attendant at the petrol station to turn off the fuel but she ran off after becoming terrified of Koku, who was holding a lighter.

Mr Shay added: “After the defendant again charged at PC Cleaver, he began to pour fuel over the police car, his own car and himself.”

Police were also concerned about Koku’s dog, a Rottweiler which was with him in the car and how it might react if police apprehended the arsonist.

The court heard, when armed police officers arrived at the scene, Koku began screaming ‘shoot me’, ‘shoot me’ and brandished a screwdriver.

He also sprayed himself and the dog with an aerosol can.

Officers managed to convince Koku to release the dog, but it returned to him causing Koku to drop the screwdriver.

After this he was shot with a non-lethal baton round in the abdomen and was arrested and taken to hospital.

Mr Shay said: “At hospital he began to behave very strangely.

“He was swearing a lot, saying things which very much brought into question his mental health, suggesting things were in his anus.

“It was felt he wasn’t in any state to be interviewed.”

Koku also pleaded guilty to possession of a dangerous article and criminal damage after a similar incident three days earlier when officers found him standing on top of a garage with a can of deodorant and a lighter threatening to set fire to himself.

It took officers seven hours to persuade him to come down, with Koku threatening to cut his own throat and pouring flammable liquid over his jacket.

When in custody, Koku smeared his own faeces over the walls of his cell.

The court also heard Koku had been sentenced to three years at a young offenders’ institute in 2012 for false imprisonment, where he attacked a man with a brick and threatened to petrol bomb his house.

Koku’s sentencing was adjourned until July 22 due to problems with paperwork.