The Shanghai No. 1 Intermediate People's Court yesterday rejected an appeal from a former IKEA worker who was sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment for attempted arson.

The man, surnamed Gu, had sought leniency on the grounds that even though he had a legitimate gripe, he had not followed through on his threat to set fire to the store or its products.

According to the court, Gu joined the company as a technician last August, but was sacked three months later.

Dissatisfied with the salary IKEA he was paid, Gu bought 2.5 liters of flammable liquid from a store and sneaked back into the store on November 16.

He climbed onto a shelf and went to sleep. When workers found him the next morning, Gu splashed the liquid onto himself, his ex-colleagues and products, and threatened to set them all alight.

He gave up his protest two hours later after talking to police.

The store was forced to close for more than three hours as a result of the protest. Gu was also charged with causing 6,000 yuan (US$962) worth of damage.