Deveca Rose, a 30-year-old mother from Sutton, south-west London, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for the manslaughter of her four young sons who tragically died in a house fire. On December 16, 2021, Rose left her two sets of twins—four-year-old Kyson and Bryson Hoath, and three-year-old Leyton and Logan Hoath—alone in their home while she went out shopping. A fire broke out in their terraced house, likely caused by a discarded cigarette or upturned tealight, and rapidly spread due to the clutter and rubbish on the floor. The children, unable to escape because the house was locked, perished under a bed, unable to reach safety.
Rose was found guilty of four counts of manslaughter following a trial at the Old Bailey but was cleared of a charge of child cruelty. The trial revealed the dire conditions in the family’s home, including “rubbish all over the floor and human excrement.” A fire investigation report concluded that the blaze was caused by either a discarded cigarette or a tealight, which ignited the rubbish. Sentencing Rose, Judge Mark Lucraft KC emphasized that none of the items she had gone out to buy were essential, highlighting the preventable nature of the tragedy. He noted that her deteriorating eyesight, which meant she could no longer see her children in photos or videos, was factored into his decision, but he made it clear that Rose would have to live with the knowledge that she was responsible for the deaths of her four children.
During the sentencing hearing, Rose sat in the dock with her hood up and headphones on, reportedly for medical reasons. The court heard emotional victim impact statements from the children’s father, Dalton Hoath, who described the loss of his “beautiful boys” as the “worst day of his life.” He spoke of the devastation of losing children who had only just begun their lives. The boys’ great-grandmother, Sally Johnson, also gave a tearful statement, expressing the profound emptiness she felt after their deaths. She found some comfort in the thought that the children were now “together forever” and would never be alone again. The boys’ step-grandmother, Kerrie Hoath, described the loss as cruel and noted that the children’s short lives had made a lasting impact on their family, a hole that could never be filled.
At her trial, Rose suggested that someone named “Jade” was with the children while she was out, but it was determined that she had left the four boys alone. In her defense, Rose’s barrister, Laurie-Anne Power KC, argued that Rose had asked for help but did not receive it, pointing out that she had been struggling with significant mental health issues. Despite these claims, Judge Lucraft did not find that Rose’s mental health substantially reduced her responsibility for the tragedy. He also noted that there had been missed opportunities to intervene when conditions at the home deteriorated, particularly during the Covid pandemic when Rose had sought help but received little support.
The fire broke out when a cigarette or tealight sparked the flames, and the boys, trapped inside, ran upstairs calling for help. A neighbor attempted to break down the front door, and firefighters, wearing breathing apparatus, eventually entered the house and found the children’s bodies under beds. They were rushed to the hospital but were pronounced dead from inhalation of fire fumes. The fire brigade’s response was praised, with Charlie Pugsley, London Fire Brigade’s deputy commissioner for fire safety, paying tribute to the “acts of heroism” displayed by those who tried their best to save the children. The incident has had a lasting emotional impact on the firefighters involved.
This case is a tragic reminder of the importance of vigilance in ensuring children’s safety and the devastating consequences that can arise when basic precautions are not taken. The story has resonated deeply with the public and has sparked important conversations around child welfare, safety, and the responsibility of parents to protect their children.
