Deveca Rose, the mother of two sets of twins, had left her children alone in a locked terraced house when the tragic fire broke out on the evening of December 16, 2021. The boys, Leyton and Logan Hoath, aged three, and four-year-olds Kyson and Bryson Hoath, were trapped inside the house in Sutton, southwest London.
Rose, who had separated from her partner and struggled with mental health issues, denied the manslaughter charges and child cruelty accusations. However, after deliberating for over three hours, an Old Bailey jury found her guilty of four counts of manslaughter by a majority of 11 to 1, though she was acquitted of child cruelty.
Judge Mark Lucraft KC described the case as “tragic” and adjourned sentencing until November 15, allowing Rose to remain on bail.
Prosecutor Kate Lumsdon KC told the court that the home was in poor condition, with rubbish filling the toilet and bath, making them unusable. Instead, buckets and pots were used as toilets.
The fire is believed to have been sparked by a cigarette or tea light in the living room, trapping the boys inside. They ran upstairs calling for help, but despite a neighbor’s attempt to break down the door, firefighters found the children’s bodies under the beds. They were rushed to hospitals, but sadly died from smoke inhalation later that night.
Rose returned home while firefighters were still battling the blaze. She initially claimed she had left the children with a friend named Jade, prompting rescuers to search for her. However, police investigations later determined that Jade either did not exist or was not present that day.
In police interviews, Rose admitted to having left her sons alone on previous occasions. The boys’ father, Dalton Hoath, stated that she had left them unattended a few times to visit a nearby shop, which had devastated him and turned his world “upside down.”
Other family members, including the children’s paternal great-grandmother Sally Johnson, confirmed that Rose had left the boys home alone in the past, despite her claiming she only visited a nearby shop. Paternal step-grandmother Kerrie Hoath described the children as “polite, carefree, and very much loved,” but noted that Rose often refused to let her inside the house.
Jurors heard that social worker Georgia Singh had raised concerns about the family, but the case had been closed just three months before the fatal fire. Defense lawyer Laurie-Anne Power KC pointed out Rose’s declining mental health and disengagement from her children as warning signs that were not addressed before the case was closed.
