By Tony O’Reilly-
A Nottingham mother was found guilty of murdering a mother and her two children by setting their property alight
Jamie Burrow(pictured), who suffers from bipolar, was motivated by a “grievance” over rubbish being left in an alleyway.
AD: Capeesh Restaurant
In the trial which began over 2 weeks ago on 12 June, prosecutors said Burrow decided to pour Kerosine through the letter box whilst the family were indoors, and calmly walked away, ignoring their dying screams.
Barrow, 31,(pictured) had already admitted manslaughter but a jury of seven men and four women unanimously convicted him of murder on Tuesday after almost seven hours of deliberations.
Hydara’s husband and the girls’ father, Aboubacarr Drammeh, was away working in the USA on the night of the blaze and previously told how he had to identify their bodies in a mortuary on his 40th birthday.
AD: Oysterian Sea Food Restaurant And Bar
Members of the victims’ family wept as the jury of seven men and four women unanimously convicted him of murder after almost seven hours of deliberations.
The mother and her children were planning to join him and relocate to America at the time of the tragedy, and were reportedly close to the end of their visa application process.
Mr Drammeh said his wife of eight years, a former voluntary worker, had lived a “short but a very beautiful and fulfilling life”, and said his daughters were “both really happy children”.
Nottingham Crown Court heard he would have known they were inside because a pram had been left outside the front door and light was coming from the hallway of the first-floor flat.
Prosecutors also said he ignored the screams of those trapped inside and “did nothing to help” as the blaze took hold.
The family of his victims said Barrow had been “utterly heartless and cruel” and had caused “a multigenerational trauma that we will never understand”.
In a statement following the verdict on Tuesday, they added: “Words cannot quantify how much our family have suffered because of the horrific actions of one man.
“Neither can we quantify the emotional, psychological, physiological and financial impact of the crime Jamie Barrow committed.”
The 31-year-old, who lived in the neighbouring flat in Fairisle Close, previously pleaded guilty in April to the manslaughter of the trio on 20 November last year in Clifton, Nottingham.
The girls were pronounced dead at hospital shortly after the blaze broke out just after 3am, while their mother died two days later from the effects of smoke inhalation.
Barrow, who admitted he drank “seven or eight” cans of San Miguel lager before the attack, started the fire after pouring petrol through the flat’s letterbox.
Fatoumatta Hydara with her two young children Naeemah and Fatimah
The defendant, who admitted he had drank “seven or eight” cans of San Miguel lager before starting the fire, would have known that his victims were home due to a pram being left outside the door and a light coming from the hallway, Mr Ash said.
He added that after the fire took hold, Barrow “did nothing to help” those trapped inside the first-floor flat.
While giving his evidence, Barrow said he “can’t explain” why he chose to target the neighbouring flat but had formed the opinion that no one was inside as he had not seen or heard his neighbours in the days leading up to the fire.
He said he had been suffering from a “very, very low mood” and was “wallowing in self-pity” in the days and hours before his actions, caused partially by his emotionally unstable personality disorder.
He told the court he did not expect the fire to take hold as rapidly as it did and said he was driven to admit what he had done to police officers due to “an immense amount of guilt”, telling police: “I need to tell you something about the fire next door.”
The jury heard that Barrow found starting fires “cathartic” and gave “zero” consideration to the consequences of his actions, rejecting his assertion that he had not intended to harm anyone when starting the fatal blaze.
Thanking the jury for their service, Mrs Justice Tipples said: “This has been a particularly distressing case in which three people died and in those circumstances I am going to discharge you from jury service for life.”
Some members of the victims’ family wept as the jury of seven men and four women unanimously convicted him of murder after almost seven hours of deliberations.
Barrow, who remained silent throughout, was also found guilty of arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered.
A ‘cruel and dangerous man’
Ms Hydara’s husband and the girls’ father, Aboubacarr Drammeh, was away working in the USA on the night of the blaze and previously told how he had to identify their bodies in a mortuary on his 40th birthday.
The mother and her children were planning to join him and relocate to America at the time of the tragedy, and were reportedly close to the end of their visa application process.
Mr Drammeh said his wife of eight years, a former voluntary worker, had lived a “short but a very beautiful and fulfilling life”, and said his daughters were “both really happy children”.
The family statement on Tuesday also described the girls as “two angels who deserved a beautiful childhood and a full life”.
They added: “Nottingham and the rest of the world have been denied potential future teachers, civil servants, doctors – who knows what they could have been?”
Detective Chief Inspector Clare Dean, of Nottinghamshire Police’s major crime unit, described Barrow as a “cruel and dangerous man”.
He said following the verdict: “This is a tragic case in which a caring and compassionate mother and two young children were taken away in the cruellest way imaginable.
“The loss of Fatoumatta, Fatimah and Naeemah was utterly senseless and, as a result, their family have experienced pain and distress which cannot be adequately described or even imagined
AD: Heritage And Restaurant Lounge Bar