A man has been sentenced to life in prison with a mandatory minimum term of 44 years for the murder of a mother and her two young girls, who he killed by pouring fuel through their letterbox and lighting fire to their flat at Nottingham.
Fatoumatta Hydara, 28, died from smoke inhalation two days after the fire, while Fatimah and Naeemah Drammeh, ages 3 and 1, died in the flames.
Neighbour, Jamie Barrow, doused the apartment with fuel from his motorbike, started the fire in the wee hours of November 20, and 'walked casually away' ignoring the cries of his victims.
Justice Amanda Tipples, presiding over Barrow's sentencing at Nottingham Crown Court, said to him, "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."
“You were very angry, but it is only you who knows why you did this.”
People in the court yelled "good" and "they should hang you" as Barrow was led away after hearing his punishment.
The court found that Barrow knew the three "would have no chance whatsoever" since he knew they were at home and asleep.
“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.”
The jury had previously heard that 31-year-old Barrow had a "grievance" about trash that had been dumped in an alley outside of their city apartments on Fairisle Close.
Following the torching of the house, he phoned Nottingham City Council to inquire about receiving compensation for smoke damage to his personal property.
Justice Tipples said: “Fatoumatta Hydara was a young woman full of compassion and love.
“She was a caring and devoted daughter, wife, mother, sister and friend."
“She was 28, married to Aboubacarr Drammeh and the mother of two beautiful little girls, Fatimah who was three, and Naeemah who was one."
“Their short lives were full of joy and happiness, and they brought joy and happiness to all those who knew and met them.”
She subsequently said: “The impact on Aboubacarr has been devastating. His loss has been immeasurable, yet his dignity throughout this trial and in this court today has been truly remarkable."
Aminata Dibba, Fatoumatta's mother, has expressed similar sentiments, stating that "now Fatoumatta is gone, her world is dark and empty."
According to Christopher Henley KC, who spoke on behalf of Barrow, "Jamie Barrow is realistic that anything I say on his behalf about his remorse and his regret will sound pretty hollow and will provide precious little, if any, comfort to anyone who loved Fatoumatta Hydara, Fatimah Drammeh, and Naeemah Drammeh."
“Jamie Barrow’s focus was principally on himself, his own struggles. His mental health was in crisis – it had been in the days following the time he spent with his son.”
In spite of this, on Tuesday, after over seven hours of deliberations, he was found guilty of murder. The victims' loved ones sobbed in court.
Aboubacarr Drammeh, Mrs Hydara's husband and the children's father, was in the United States on his 40th birthday when the fire broke out. Mr Hydara had a "pure heart," and his two kids were "two angels who deserved a beautiful childhood and a full life," he said.
When asked about his feelings of guilt, he responded, "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, things have gone from bad to worse, and into the unknown.
“It was unthinkable, it was unplanned, and I wish this on no one else, including you. Two little angels, their lifeless bodies lying next to each other. I held their whole hands. I wished I could switch with them."
“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 went on to say that Barrow's behaviour was "utterly heartless and cruel" and that it had resulted in "multi-generational trauma" for everyone in their families.
Looking towards the defendant, he said: “Your impact is infinite, it is immeasurable, it is innumerable. I cannot quantify the impact of your actions.”
“I don’t know why (you did it). Perhaps what you said is the real story, but we will never know why.”
In her sentencing of Barrow, Justice Tipples said, "I do not accept that you have shown any genuine remorse for what you have done."
