The family of a mother and two children murdered in a flat fire said “today is not a happy day” despite their killer being jailed for life.
Jamie Barrow was given a minimum term of 44 years in prison on Friday, July 7 for killing Fatoumatta Hydara and her daughters, Fatimah and Naeemah Drammeh. The 31-year-old torched the family’s neighbouring flat in Fairisle Close, Clifton, Nottingham, in the early hours of last November 20.
Barrow was unanimously convicted of murder by a jury on Tuesday, July 4 after previously admitting manslaughter. He claimed to have believed the flat to be empty at the time he lit the fire by pouring petrol siphoned from his motorbike through his victims’ letterbox.
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Barrow, 31, drank several cans of lager before taking petrol from his motorbike and set it alight in November last year, after holding what prosecutors described as a “grievance” over rubbish being left in an alleyway.
He used a Clean ‘N Fresh spray bottle to decant the petrol, which he chose deliberately because its slim neck would fit through a letterbox.
He then stood outside the flat in Fairisle Close, Clifton, Nottingham, to watch the fire take hold, ignoring the screams of those inside and later asked housing officers if he would be compensated for his smoke-damaged belongings.
Prosecutor Simon Ash KC had previously told the trial that Barrow “walked casually away” after lighting the petrol with some tissue paper, having watched the flames take hold for “about five minutes”.
He “did nothing to help” his victims who were trapped inside the burning flat, with Fatimah and Naeemah dying in the fire and Mrs Hydara, 28, dying two days later, all from smoke inhalation.
While a specific motive has never been determined, Mr Ash said during the trial that several reasons could have caused Barrow to start the fire, including the “grievance” over rubbish being left, anger over noise, and a desire to be rehoused by Nottingham City Council to be closer to his son.
Having previously admitted manslaughter, Barrow said during his evidence that he “can’t explain” why he chose his neighbour’s flat as a target.
He claimed he believed the flat was empty when he lit the fire and had no intention of hurting anyone, apologising to the victims’ family while in the witness box.
Barrow also said he found fires “cathartic” and that fire “chills me out”, having first deliberately started one as a teenager.
Reading a statement outside Nottingham Crown Court after sentencing, Mrs Hydara’s husband, Aboubacarr Drammeh, said he has “no hatred” towards Barrow even though he has shown “no remorse”. He said: “Barrow has yet to explain why he committed such ruthless and inhumane acts of murder and arson. Today is not a happy day for us.
“Barrow’s sentence does not bring them back. However, justice has been done and he will never be able to inflict the pain he has caused our family on anyone else. This tragedy has caused an inter-generational trauma within our family which we are only beginning to understand.
“Our family had ambitions, hopes and dreams which because of Barrow can now never become a reality. But today is the first step in the long road towards healing and moving forward. We wish to thank everyone who helped us. Our focus now is on our healing process.”
Jailing him for life, Mrs Justice Tipples said the offence “plainly involved planning and thought” and said Barrow’s alcohol intake was “the main reason” behind his actions.
She said: “Fatoumatta and her two small children were asleep in their beds in their own home.
“You knew they were all home, asleep, and you knew they would have no chance whatsoever.
“Seconds after you lit the fire you heard the fire alarm in the flat go off. You did nothing.
“Seconds after that you heard Fatoumatta screaming from the flat. You did nothing.
“Rather, you stood and watched the fire take hold, and you stood there watching the fire develop and spread for five minutes, which was an enormous length of time in the circumstances.
“You were well aware of what you were doing and I am quite sure from what you did that you wanted to kill Mrs Hydara and her children.
“I do not accept that you have shown any genuine remorse for what you have done.”
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