A man was guilty of killing the mother and her two young girls after setting fire to their neighbor’s flat and then idly watching as they begged for help.
Fatimah Drammeh and Naeemah Drammeh’s flat in Clifton, Nottingham, was set on fire by Jamie Barrow, 31, in November.
The fire claimed the lives of Mrs. Hydara, 28, Fatimah, 3, and Naeemah, 1 year old, all of whom perished from smoke inhalation on November 20.
Nottingham Crown Court heard Barrow had a ‘grievance’ over rubbish being left in an alleyway and watched the fire take hold while ignoring the desperate screams coming from inside.
Barrow 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.
He was also found guilty of arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered.
Some members of the victims’ family, to whom Barrow apologised while giving evidence and who have packed the public gallery throughout proceedings, wept after the verdicts were delivered.
Barrow remained silent throughout.
In a statement, the family of the victims said: ‘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 against Fatoumatta, Fatimah and Naeemah.
‘His actions were utterly heartless and cruel – and have caused a multigenerational trauma that we will never understand.
‘Fatoumatta was a caring daughter, wife, sister, mother and friend. If love and compassion could make a person immortal, she would have lived forever.
‘She had a pure heart and was greatly loved for her personality and qualities. She was the most incredible mother to Fatimah and Naeemah, two angels who deserved a beautiful childhood and a full life.
‘Nottingham and the rest of the world have been denied potential future teachers, civil servants, doctors – who knows what they could have been?
‘They lived a short but meaningful life, such was the joy and happiness they brought to us all.’
Prosecutor Simon Ash KC told jurors Barrow had drunk ‘seven or eight’ cans of San Miguel before pouring petrol from his motorbike through the letterbox and setting it alight using tissue paper.
He said he would have known his victims were home due to a pram being left outside the door and a light coming from the hallway.
Once the fire took hold, Barrow ‘did nothing to help’ those trapped inside the first-floor flat.
Giving 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 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.
Barrow claimed 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 officers: ‘I need to tell you something about the fire next door.’
The jury heard he 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 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.’
Barrow will be sentenced on Friday at the same court.
Detective Inspector Kaz Smithson said: ‘Jamie Barrow committed the most despicable crime anyone could ever commit. He destroyed a whole family and took away their dreams of a happy life together in America.
‘Today, justice has been served for Fatoumatta, Fatimah and Naeemah and their family, all of whom have carried themselves with incredible dignity since the night of this truly awful crime.
‘Barrow denied the killings were deliberate but, thankfully, my investigative team was able to provide overwhelming evidence that this tragic event was indeed murder.
‘We saw through his lies and, thankfully, so did the jury.
‘Barrow knew Fatoumatta and the children were inside the property when he set fire to it and that they’d have no chance of surviving.
‘It beggars belief. In my opinion Barrow is an extremely dangerous man and I am pleased he is no longer walking the streets.
‘Finally, I want to thank the family for the dignity and incredible strength that they shown during the trial and hope they can draw some comfort from today’s verdicts.’