Deveca Rose, 30, was sentenced to 10 years in prison at the Old Bailey for the deaths of her four sons—two sets of twins, aged three and four—after leaving them home alone. The children, Leyton and Logan Hoath, aged three, and Kyson and Bryson Hoath, aged four, died in a fire that broke out in their locked home in Sutton, South London, on December 16, 2021. The fire, believed to have been caused by a tea light, trapped the boys, who were later found under beds by firefighters, as per a Mirror.Co.UK report.
Judge’s verdict
Judge Mark Lucraft KC delivered a damning assessment, stating, "You abandoned them. You were not there, and the children were too young to know what to do. As a result of what you did, they were all killed."
Rose denied charges of manslaughter, claiming she had left her children in the care of a friend named Jade, who police determined either did not exist or played no role in the incident. Despite her assertions, Rose admitted during the trial to having left the boys unattended on at least two prior occasions.
The court heard that Rose had been diagnosed with several mental health disorders. However, prosecutors argued her mental health issues were not a defense.
The boys' father, Dalton Hoath, delivered an emotional victim impact statement, calling the loss of his children "the worst day of my life." He said, "Their lives had just begun but were cut so short. It was every parent's worst nightmare."
Rose told police that on the day of the fire, she had left the house to visit Sainsbury's, claiming to have left the boys with a friend. Upon seeing her home ablaze, she said, “I just went straight to the door. I realised, my God, that's my house, oh my God, that's my kids.”
During the trial, Rose admitted to previously leaving her children alone. She recounted leaving them at home to top up electricity or check on power outages but insisted she only did so because she had no one else to help.
Jurors were told that the fire was caused by either a dropped cigarette or a tea light, which ignited rubbish on the living room floor. Rose denied smoking inside the house that day, claiming she had smoked a single cigarette outside and stubbed it out.
Catch all the Business News , Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.