A man has been found guilty of murdering his neighbour and her two young children by setting their house on fire.
Jamie Barrow, 31, torched the flat belonging to Fatoumatta Hydara, and daughters Fatimah Drammeh and Naeemah Drammeh in Clifton, Nottingham, by pouring petrol through their letterbox last November.
Prosecutors told a trial at Nottingham Crown Court that Barrow, who lived in the neighbouring flat, had a "grievance" over rubbish being left in an alleyway and watched the fire take hold while ignoring screams coming from inside.
Fatimah, three, and Naeemah, one, both died in the blaze on November 20 last year and Mrs Hydara, 28, died two days later, with all three succumbing to smoke inhalation.
Barrow had already admitted manslaughter but a jury of seven men and four women unanimously convicted him of murder today after almost seven hours of deliberations.
He was also found guilty of arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered.
Chilling footage from a police officer's bodycam shows the moment Barrow grins at the cops and asks how "bad" the fire is.
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.
Following the verdicts, the family of Fatoumatta, Fatimah and Naeemah said in a joint statement: “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.
“People repeatedly ask us how we as a family managed to stay calm and composed in the court room, the only true answer to this is the strength and patience given to us by Allah and our Khalifa as he always advises us to follow the law of the country and to stay steadfast.
“We have also received a great sense of companionship from our community the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jammat. The overwhelming support given to us by our Gambian Community here in the UK and around the world has encouraged us to keep calm and patient.
“We are extremely grateful and thankful to our family and friends, as well as the different communities within Nottingham that came together to give us support. This includes multiple communities all from different ethnicities and backgrounds.
“We also wish to thank the police investigation team, the Crown Prosecution Service, prosecution counsel and members of the jury for delivering the justice today’s verdicts provide.”
In the trial, which started on June 12, prosecutor Simon Ash KC told jurors that Barrow had "walked casually away" from the fire after lighting petrol taken from his motorbike and set alight with tissue paper in the early hours of the morning.
The defendant, who admitted he had drank "seven or eight" cans of San Miguel lager before starting the fire, would have known that his victims were home due to a pram being left outside the door and a light coming from the hallway, Mr Ash said.
He added that after the fire took hold, Barrow "did nothing to help" those trapped inside the first-floor flat.
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.
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."
Speaking following Jamie Barrow’s conviction for murder, Samantha Shallow, head of the Crown Prosecution Service East Midlands complex casework unit, said: “The loss of these three lives is a tragedy for their loved ones and their community.
“The case we have put in front of the jury is that Jamie Barrow wanted to harm someone by setting a fire and three innocent people died as a result.
“There was never any question that this was a case of murder.
“He knew exactly what he was doing and what the consequences would be when he set the fire.
“The community have rightfully demanded justice, and today justice has been served.
“Our thoughts and sincere sympathies remain with those close to Mrs Hydara, Fatimah and Naeemah.”
Barrow will be sentenced on Friday at the same court.
