A mum has been found guilty of killing her four young sons after leaving them alone to pop to the shops when a fire broke out.
Deveca Rose was charged with four counts of manslaughter after a fire tore through the ground floor of her mid-terrace house in Sutton, south London, killing twin brothers Kyson and Bryson, four, and three-year-old twins Leyton and Logan. The Old Bailey heard the four children died after a discarded cigarette or upturned tea light sparked a blaze.
Today, a jury found her guilty of the manslaughter of her four sons after deliberating for three hours and 22 minutes and reaching a majority of 11 to one. She was found not guilty of child cruelty.Judge Mark Lucraft KC said it was a “tragic case” as he adjourned sentencing to November 15 and granted Rose continued bail.
During her trial the court was told she was arrested at the hospital where her children were pronounced dead and told a police officer: “My kids just died and I’m being f***ing arrested”. She had left the boys alone having returned to a supermarket, the family of five had been to earlier in the day.
CCTV footage of Rose being unable to pay for her shopping at Sainsbury’s on the day of the fire was played to jurors. Rose was captured repeatedly tying to get two of her children to stay in the trolley, while the other two were seen running around. The mum wasn’t able to buy all her goods on that trip, but later returned without the children when the fire started.
Prosecutor Kate Lumsdon KC told the court the boys died in a fire surrounded by rubbish and human excrement. At about 6.30pm on December 16 2021, she left the children unattended at the house and went to Sainsbury’s. While she was away, neighbours realised the house was on fire and could hear the children were inside and the door was shut, Ms Lumsdon said.
She told jurors: “A neighbour kicked in the door but the fire had taken hold to the extent that it was impossible to enter. The fire brigade were called. Many units attended. Using appropriate protective clothing and breathing apparatus firemen put out the fire and entered the house. They found the four boys under a bed in the upstairs front room. They were limp and unconscious. Firemen noted that there was rubbish all over the floor of the house and human excrement. There was a mattress and a door on the stairs.”
Attempts to save the children were made on the pavement outside, but jurors were told there was nothing that could be done, and they were pronounced dead in hospital. The cause of death was later given as inhalation of fire fumes. The defendant arrived back from the supermarket as firefighters were still tackling the blaze and she was taken in by a neighbour.
Jurors were told the boys’ father had also gone to the scene. Ms Lumsdon said Rose had claimed she left the children with a woman called Jade, which prompted firefighters to go back into the house to search for her. But the prosecutor told jurors there was no sign of the friend, and extensive inquiries had led to the “firm conclusion” that Jade either did not exist or played no part in events of that evening.
Following her arrest, Rose maintained in a prepared statement that she had left the children in the care of a friend called Jade. Ms Lumsdon said: “Despite following all the leads provided by Ms Rose and conducting their own investigations, the police could find no trace of Jade.”
The court was told how the children were known to social services but their case was closed three months before their deaths. Members of the children’s paternal family had concerns, and their paternal grandmother had not visited the house often as Rose was “cagey” about letting her in, jurors were told. After inappropriate behaviour was raised at school, social services intervened between July and September 2021, jurors heard.
On a visit in July 2021, a social worker found rubbish at the house, a “very strong unpleasant smell” and was worried that Rose had not taken care of herself. Jurors were told that Rose did not engage in further planned home visits and the case was closed in September 2021. The children had not attended school for three weeks before the fire.
The court was read a transcript of Rose’s arrest at the hospital after her sons had died. A police officer told Rose: “Are you aware there was a fire today at your home address and four children were left in that address? And unfortunately they’ve all passed away, they’re all deceased.”
Rose replied: “Mmhm every single one of my kids are dead.” When told she was being arrested for child neglect Rose said: “Neglect? I wasn’t on my own, but okay.” When told she would have to be handcuffed to preserve forensic evidence on her hands, she replied: “My kids just died and I’m being f***ing arrested”.
A psychiatrist who diagnosed Rose with “recurrent depressive disorder” said there is “clear evidence of deterioration in mental state in the weeks leading up to the incident”, prosecutor Ms Lumsdon told the jury. Rose, who worked as a carer for the elderly was signed off as not fit for work in April 2021.
After the close of the prosecution case on Tuesday, October 1, defence barrister Laurie-Anne Power, KC, told the jury that Rose would not be giving evidence.
God this is so heartbreaking. Two sets of twins under 5 years old must have been a nightmare, she was obviously struggling, had severe depression, and thought she could just nip back out to the shops. She’s clearly guilty of manslaughter but I can’t help but have empathy for her.
This line makes my heart hurt though:
“The boys were trapped and ran upstairs calling for help. A neighbour tried to break down the front door before firefighters went in and found the children’s bodies under beds.”
Those poor sweet babies must have been so scared hiding under the bed from the fire 💔
This is a really sad story. Two sets of twins under 5, the mum clearly really struggling. Social workers closed the case despite the house being an absolute tip, kids hadn’t attended school for 3 weeks before they died… there surely has been a failure to safeguard this family
Not guilty of child cruelty, yet there was shit all over the place?
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Where’s the archive? Not reading this trash.
*For those who don’t want to click the link*
A mum has been found guilty of killing her four young sons after leaving them alone to pop to the shops when a fire broke out.
Deveca Rose was charged with four counts of manslaughter after a fire tore through the ground floor of her mid-terrace house in Sutton, south London, killing twin brothers Kyson and Bryson, four, and three-year-old twins Leyton and Logan. The Old Bailey heard the four children died after a discarded cigarette or upturned tea light sparked a blaze.
Today, a jury found her guilty of the manslaughter of her four sons after deliberating for three hours and 22 minutes and reaching a majority of 11 to one. She was found not guilty of child cruelty.Judge Mark Lucraft KC said it was a “tragic case” as he adjourned sentencing to November 15 and granted Rose continued bail.
During her trial the court was told she was arrested at the hospital where her children were pronounced dead and told a police officer: “My kids just died and I’m being f***ing arrested”. She had left the boys alone having returned to a supermarket, the family of five had been to earlier in the day.
CCTV footage of Rose being unable to pay for her shopping at Sainsbury’s on the day of the fire was played to jurors. Rose was captured repeatedly tying to get two of her children to stay in the trolley, while the other two were seen running around. The mum wasn’t able to buy all her goods on that trip, but later returned without the children when the fire started.
Prosecutor Kate Lumsdon KC told the court the boys died in a fire surrounded by rubbish and human excrement. At about 6.30pm on December 16 2021, she left the children unattended at the house and went to Sainsbury’s. While she was away, neighbours realised the house was on fire and could hear the children were inside and the door was shut, Ms Lumsdon said.
She told jurors: “A neighbour kicked in the door but the fire had taken hold to the extent that it was impossible to enter. The fire brigade were called. Many units attended. Using appropriate protective clothing and breathing apparatus firemen put out the fire and entered the house. They found the four boys under a bed in the upstairs front room. They were limp and unconscious. Firemen noted that there was rubbish all over the floor of the house and human excrement. There was a mattress and a door on the stairs.”
Attempts to save the children were made on the pavement outside, but jurors were told there was nothing that could be done, and they were pronounced dead in hospital. The cause of death was later given as inhalation of fire fumes. The defendant arrived back from the supermarket as firefighters were still tackling the blaze and she was taken in by a neighbour.
Jurors were told the boys’ father had also gone to the scene. Ms Lumsdon said Rose had claimed she left the children with a woman called Jade, which prompted firefighters to go back into the house to search for her. But the prosecutor told jurors there was no sign of the friend, and extensive inquiries had led to the “firm conclusion” that Jade either did not exist or played no part in events of that evening.
Following her arrest, Rose maintained in a prepared statement that she had left the children in the care of a friend called Jade. Ms Lumsdon said: “Despite following all the leads provided by Ms Rose and conducting their own investigations, the police could find no trace of Jade.”
The court was told how the children were known to social services but their case was closed three months before their deaths. Members of the children’s paternal family had concerns, and their paternal grandmother had not visited the house often as Rose was “cagey” about letting her in, jurors were told. After inappropriate behaviour was raised at school, social services intervened between July and September 2021, jurors heard.
On a visit in July 2021, a social worker found rubbish at the house, a “very strong unpleasant smell” and was worried that Rose had not taken care of herself. Jurors were told that Rose did not engage in further planned home visits and the case was closed in September 2021. The children had not attended school for three weeks before the fire.
The court was read a transcript of Rose’s arrest at the hospital after her sons had died. A police officer told Rose: “Are you aware there was a fire today at your home address and four children were left in that address? And unfortunately they’ve all passed away, they’re all deceased.”
Rose replied: “Mmhm every single one of my kids are dead.” When told she was being arrested for child neglect Rose said: “Neglect? I wasn’t on my own, but okay.” When told she would have to be handcuffed to preserve forensic evidence on her hands, she replied: “My kids just died and I’m being f***ing arrested”.
A psychiatrist who diagnosed Rose with “recurrent depressive disorder” said there is “clear evidence of deterioration in mental state in the weeks leading up to the incident”, prosecutor Ms Lumsdon told the jury. Rose, who worked as a carer for the elderly was signed off as not fit for work in April 2021.
After the close of the prosecution case on Tuesday, October 1, defence barrister Laurie-Anne Power, KC, told the jury that Rose would not be giving evidence.
God this is so heartbreaking. Two sets of twins under 5 years old must have been a nightmare, she was obviously struggling, had severe depression, and thought she could just nip back out to the shops. She’s clearly guilty of manslaughter but I can’t help but have empathy for her.
This line makes my heart hurt though:
“The boys were trapped and ran upstairs calling for help.
A neighbour tried to break down the front door before firefighters went in and found the children’s bodies under beds.”
Those poor sweet babies must have been so scared hiding under the bed from the fire 💔
This is a really sad story. Two sets of twins under 5, the mum clearly really struggling. Social workers closed the case despite the house being an absolute tip, kids hadn’t attended school for 3 weeks before they died… there surely has been a failure to safeguard this family
Not guilty of child cruelty, yet there was shit all over the place?