A mother from London has been convicted of manslaughter in relation to a house fire that resulted in the deaths of her four young sons in December 2021.
Deveca Rose, aged 30, left her two sets of twin boys home alone while she shopped at a Sainsbury’s supermarket close by. The twins, Leyton and Logan Hoath, 3, and Kyson and Bryson Hoath, 4, died in the fire that consumed their terraced home in Sutton, South London.
The jury at the Old Bailey found Rose guilty of four counts of manslaughter after deliberating for slightly over three hours on October 3. However, Rose was acquitted of a separate charge of child cruelty.
The prosecution argued that the fire started rapidly in the living room due to a discarded cigarette or an overturned tea light that ignited a pile of rubbish. The boys were discovered unconscious under a bed in an upstairs room, having died of smoke inhalation.
Court evidence revealed a dire image of the living conditions within the home. Witnesses reported human waste on the floors, pots and buckets used as ersatz toilets, and garbage scattered across the house. The house’s smoke alarm was devoid of batteries.
On the day of the fire, CCTV captured Rose trying to shop with all four children at Sainsbury’s. The footage showed her struggling to manage the children, with two running around the aisles while she attempted to keep the others in the shopping cart. Rose departed the store with the children without completing her purchase.
About an hour prior to the fire, neighbors reported hearing Rose shouting at the children. She was then spotted leaving for Sainsbury’s alone, locking the boys inside the home.
The fire broke out around 7 p.m., and the children’s cries for help were heard by neighbors who were unable to enter the burning house. Firefighters reached the scene and retrieved the boys, but despite their efforts, the children were pronounced dead shortly after at the hospital.
Rose initially asserted that she had left the children with a woman named Jade. This led firefighters to conduct a second search of the house, but no evidence of another person was found. Police investigations also failed to find anyone who matched the description of the alleged caretaker.
The father of the boys, Dalton Hoath, conveyed his heartbreak in a statement to the court. “After being taken to the hospital, it became clear that all four of my children had not made it and that my world had been turned upside down,” he said. Hoath characterized his sons as “young, boisterous lads” who were well-mannered and well-behaved.
Hoath, who was not living with the children and their mother at the time, stated that he was “not aware” that she had left them alone for “any length of time” or for any reason other than to get “supplies”, and that generally, she had been a “good mum.”
During the trial, it was revealed that social services had been involved with the family in the months preceding the tragedy. A general practitioner had expressed concerns about the “chaotic home environment” in July 2021. Social workers who visited the property noted the rubbish accumulation in the garden and a strong, unpleasant smell. However, the case was closed when Rose did not participate in further meetings.
The court also learned that the children had not been to school for three months before the incident. School officials did not deem this absence unusual due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Defense attorneys proposed that Rose may have been experiencing depression or a personality disorder when the fire happened. However, the prosecution insisted that this did not absolve her of responsibility for the deaths of the children.
After the verdict on October 3, Rose was released on bail. She is set to be sentenced on November 15, 2024.