A woman has been convicted of manslaughter after four young boys tragically died in a house fire in Sutton. The victims, two sets of twins named Bryson and Kyson, aged four, and Leyton and Logan, aged three, were left alone in their home on Collingwood Road on the evening of December 16, 2021, when a fire broke out, leading to their deaths.
Their mother, 29-year-old Deveca Rose of Sutton, was found guilty of four counts of manslaughter at the Old Bailey on Thursday, October 3. She was also charged with child neglect but was found not guilty of that charge. Rose has been released on bail and will be sentenced on November 15.
In a statement, the boys’ family said: “Bryson, Kyson, Leyton, and Logan Hoath were cruelly taken from us in a senseless act of negligence. The impact this has had on us, their father Dalton, and our family cannot be overstated. The last three years have been a nightmare… Today these [false narratives] have been shown to be false. Bryson, Kyson, Leyton, and Logan were left alone by their mother Deveca Rose, and today she has been found to be responsible for their deaths.”
On the evening of the fire, a passer-by noticed the house was on fire and alerted a neighbour, who attempted to enter the property but was unable to due to the severity of the blaze. Firefighters from the London Fire Brigade (LFB), along with police and the London Ambulance Service (LAS), attended the scene. Firefighters brought the fire under control and recovered the four unconscious boys from an upstairs bedroom, but despite medical efforts, the children were pronounced dead.
At the time of the fire, the children were home alone while Rose was out shopping. Upon her return, Rose claimed that the children had been left in the care of a woman named “Jade,” prompting an extensive investigation to verify the babysitter’s existence. However, no evidence of “Jade” was found. CCTV footage and phone data revealed no trace of the alleged babysitter, and the phone number Rose attempted to use was invalid and notably similar to her own.
Post-mortem examinations determined the cause of death was inhalation of fire fumes. Investigators found conditions inside the property to be messy and unsanitary, with the fire believed to have started in the living room, likely from a candle or cigarette. The children, locked inside the house, were unable to escape and sought refuge in an upstairs bedroom, where they succumbed to smoke inhalation.
Detective Chief Inspector Samantha Townsend of the Met’s Specialist Crime Command said: “This has been a difficult investigation for everyone involved. Deveca Rose was the very person who should have protected and nurtured the four boys, but instead, put her own self-interest above their safety… The sadness at the needless loss of four young lives is beyond our comprehension. I cannot begin to imagine the devastation felt by the children’s family and loved ones, and our thoughts are very much with them all today.”
The family expressed gratitude to the courts, the jury, and the police for their efforts in ensuring justice was served.
