A devastated dad has today shared his final memory of hugging his wife and daughters before they were killed by their evil neighbour in their own home.
Aboubacarr Drammeh's wife Fatoumatta Hydara and their two young daughters Fatimah Drammeh, three, and Naeemah Drammeh, one, were murdered by Jamie Barrow in Clifton, Nottingham, last November.
Prosecutors told the trial at Nottingham Crown Court that the triple killer, who lived in the neighbouring flat, had a "grievance" over rubbish being left in an alleyway.
Barrow put petrol through the family's letterbox and watched the fire take hold while ignoring screams coming from inside, the court heard.
As the killer was jailed for life with a minimum term of 44 years, Mr Drammeh, who was in America at the time of the tragedy, recalled the last moments he spent with his family.
He said he left their home on September 7, 2022, and since his kids were asleep, he kissed them on the forehead before hugging his wife and kissing her goodbye.
The heartbroken man said it did not occur to him that he would never see his wife and children alive again.
Mr Drammeh said: "The kids were asleep, I leaned over the baby crib that was right next to the wall and I kissed Naeemah Drammeh on the forehead.
"I crawled on the bed and kissed Fatimah Drammeh on the forehead. Fatoumatta was standing at the door and in a very emotional voice said ‘a taxi is waiting’. We hugged, and kissed, and exchanged ‘I love you’ I walked down the stairs and closed that door. Everything was normal, just as we had done countless times."
He added: "On that evening of November 19, the conversation was normal. I went to sleep, took a nap, went to bed at night and woke up for early morning prayers. While I was praying, my phone started ringing continuously. I thought it was Fatoumatta, wanting to FaceTime. We all know it wasn’t. It was my mother-in-law and my sister, so I called back my mother-in-law and she said there was an accident and the kids did not survive and Fatoumatta was in the ICU.
"But it wasn’t an accident, was it?"
He referred to Barrow, who sat silently in the dock, as "a coward who knew exactly what he was doing and exactly when to do it".
He said: "On November 8, 2022, when we acknowledged the email that we had a Visa interview at the US embassy in London on November 29, I bought a ticket so I could be with them."
Addressing the murderer in court, Mr Drammeh said: "Because of you, and only you, I failed in my only responsibility as a father. I was not there, I should have been.
"I had a responsibility as a father and a husband to protect, that was my basic responsibility. I make no excuses."
He added: "I was hopeless, and I was left helpless, because I didn’t have a family, and it was the people who mattered most to me. Since then, it has been a downward plunge into darkness and the unknown.
"It was unthinkable, it was unplanned, and I wish this on no one else, including you. Two little angels, their lifeless bodies laying next to each other. I held their whole hands. I wished I could switch with them."
While giving his 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.
He told the court 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 police: "I need to tell you something about the fire next door."
The jury heard that Barrow 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 fatal blaze.
Speaking after the verdict, husband and father Mr Drammeh said "words cannot quantify" his family's pain. He read a joint family statement on the steps of the court this afternoon.
He 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."
