An arsonist neighbour who murdered a mother and her daughters by pouring petrol through their letterbox and torching their flat has (strangely) won his bid to reduce his jail time by six years.
How it Happened
Fatoumatta Hydara, 28, and her daughters, Fatimah and Naeemah Drammeh, aged three and one, died because of smoke inhalation.
Jamie Barrow (the arsonist) then stood outside the home in Fairisle Close, Clifton, Nottingham, to watch the fire take hold, after holding what prosecutors described as a ‘grievance’ over rubbish being left in an alleyway.
Court heard how Jamie drank several cans of lager before taking petrol from his motorbike and setting the home alight in November 2022.
Court Ruling
The 32-year-old was jailed for life with a minimum of 44 years in July last year for the murders.
In a ruling at the Royal Courts of Justice in London on Tuesday, Lord Justice Singh, Mr Justice Jay and Judge Mayo lowered his sentence to 38 years.
Why 6 Years Was Deducted
They said the original sentence was ‘manifestly excessive in the circumstances of this case’, but acknowledged the sentencing judge had a ‘difficult’ exercise to perform.
READ ALSO: Brawl breaks OUT at British-run pub as group of men go berserk with makeshift weapons
Chris Henley KC, who had made arguments on Barrow’s behalf, argued that the 44-year minimum term was ‘out of kilter’ with other comparable cases, which the judges considered a significant submission.
The judges said there should be, as far as possible, ‘consistency as between different cases’.
The judges also expressed their ‘sincere sympathy’ to family members, adding: ‘Nothing in this judgment should be taken in any way to detract from the gravity of the offences committed by this appellant.’
