Mother jailed for 10 years after her four sons died in house fire while she was out shopping
Mother jailed for 10 years after her four sons died in house fire while she was out shopping
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A woman whose four young boys died in a house fire after she went to a supermarket has been sentenced to 10 years in prison. Deveca Rose, 30, was found guilty of the manslaughter of her twins, Leyton and Logan Hoath, aged three, and Kyson and Bryson Hoath, aged four, in October last year.
Jurors were told the four children died after a discarded cigarette or upturned tea light sparked a blaze at the family house in Collingwood Road, Sutton, in south London. Judge Mark Lucraft KC said during sentencing on Friday: "There are no words to describe this case other than a deeply tragic one.".
During the prosecution's opening statement last year, Kate Lumsdon KC alleged that Rose left the children alone to visit a supermarket on the evening of 16 December 2021. Prosecutor Kate Lumsdon KC had previously told the court: "There was rubbish thickly spread throughout the house.".
Follow our channel and never miss an update. Rose, who suffered from mental health problems, covered her head with a thick hood and hid her face as she was sentenced. Judge Lucraft told the court that the victims were left alone by their mother in an "unsafe" house that was lit using tea light candles when a fire broke out.
The judge then noted that she had already been to Sainsbury's earlier that day, and her second trip at the time of the fire was not to purchase any items that were "essential or vital". The front door was locked at the time of the fire, he added, and smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in the home were either not working or were out of battery.
