Squalor and cries for help - tragic missed chances to save four boys who died alone in house fire

Twin brothers Kyson and Bryson, four, and three-year-old twins Leyton and Logan all died in a fire at the home they shared with their mum Deveca Rose. She has now been found guilty

The four sweet little boys who died in a fire when they were left home alone appeared well turned out in photos, but behind closed doors, they were living in squalor.

Their mother, Deveca Rose, who was today found guilty at the Old Bailey of quadruple manslaughter, had left her two sets of twins to go to Sainsbury's when a fire ripped through her terraced house in Sutton, south-west London, on the evening of December 16, 2021.

Leyton and Logan Hoath, aged three, and Kyson and Bryson Hoath, aged four, were tragically found by firefighters under beds and taken to hospital where they were pronounced dead. The 30-year-old mother denied manslaughter, and claimed she had a friend called Jade looking after them, however police concluded she either did not exist or played no part in the events of that evening.

Jurors heard that the defendant may have had a personality disorder, but the prosecution asserted that was not a defence.

The tragic events have pulled on heartstrings, leaving many to wonder how could these little boys have been put in this dire situation, raising serious questions about the quality of their care at the hands of their careless mother. Pictures depict adorable Leyton, Logan, Kyson, and Bryson as happy youngsters who are presented immaculately, often in matching outfits.

However their horrid reality was far from it. They lived in "very poor conditions" in the rented property, with Rose rejecting offers of help from family and social services, the court was told.

Her children didn't bathe, as the bath was filled with rubbish instead. And they were forced to use buckets and pots as a toilet. But Rose defended the state of their living environment, saying it was "organised chaos".

During the trial, she admitted to leaving the boys at home alone on two occasions - and only because she had no one local to ask for help. On the fateful day of December 16, Rose claimed to have left her children with a friend called Jade.

Following her arrest for child neglect, the mum said she had seen Jade standing outside the house talking to a woman. According to interview transcripts read to court, she said: "I kept walking and I realised it was my house on fire. I just went straight to the door. I realised, my God, that's my house, oh my God, that's my kids."

She said that she called her mother, the boys' father Dalton Hoath and then left a voicemail for Jade. She confirmed that she understood she had been arrested because the children "were left alone in a locked house and they died", but insisted she had not known they were on their own.

Asked if she had ever left them unattended before, she said: "I’m not going to lie, because I am being very, very honest, maybe once or twice. I would definitely say twice." The first time was to go to the shop to top up her electricity after the children were already in bed, she said.

She set up her iPhone in their room and ran to the shop, she said: "That gave me anxiety. The shop is literally there, like you just cross the road from my house. I'm not going to lie and say I have not." She went on: "The second time I did not leave them to go anywhere. There was a power cut so I went out to see if anyone else's lights were off or just mine."

She said she did not go far down the road and the children were standing behind the door looking through the letter box and peering through the window blinds. She added: "That one time to the shop and the other time was walking up and down.

"The only reason I had to do that was I did not know any of my neighbours, none of my friends live in Sutton. I do not have someone to call and say come and sit with them for a bit."

Rose said that she considered Sainsbury's was too far and she would not have known how long she would be away. In that case, she would have asked someone to watch the boys or send them to a neighbour, she said: "To be fair they are a bit mischievous too. That's too much freedom."

Jurors have heard that an investigation found the fire was sparked by a dropped cigarette or tea light and spread via rubbish on the floor of the living room. Rose denied that she had smoked in the house that day, saying she had one cigarette outside which she stubbed out.

Quizzed about Jade, the defendant said she was olive skinned, of Irish-Italian descent, and talked in slang like "proper ghetto". She said Jade, who she knew through mutual friends and on Snapchat, was a "bit of a flirt" adding: "If she's gone off to f*** someone I'm going to be mad."

She added: "She's not left my kids to go f*** someone before but she's left me to go f*** someone before." Asked if their relationship was platonic or sexual, she said: "It depends, it changes. It's been both."

On whether she trusted her friend, Rose told police she did not trust anyone, adding: "It's not about trust per se. It's just she never had a problem with the kids, the kids never had a problem with her." Jurors heard that police made extensive inquiries about Jade and had concluded she either did not exist or played no part in events of that evening.

Following the fatal fire, the mother-of-four told police that she hated Social Services "with a passion". She said the incident had changed her "whole life" and that she felt "like death." At the hospital, she said she had "lost it a few times".

Retired health visitor Susan Hamilton and social worker Georgia Singh told jurors of their concerns following interaction with the family. Mrs Hamilton said she visited Rose on five occasions but only gained access three times between November 2018 and January 20 2020.

On one visit, the court heard that the mother only opened the door a fraction, and said she was in a hurry for work. On the final visit, Mrs Hamilton noticed that the home was 'cluttered and dirty', but that it had been an improvement.

Cross-examining, defence barrister Laurie-Anne Power KC suggested the decline in the condition of the house and Rose's mental health difficulties raised "alarm bells". "She was 24. She had four children below the age of two and she was essentially looking after them at home with some help from family," she highlighted.

"There were high risk factors, alarm bells ringing, particularly when you go into the home and the home is in a filthy condition." Mrs Hamilton said there was no follow-up and handed over the case upon her retirement.

Ms Power went on: "On your last visit you raise concerns. Although there had been some improvement they were not satisfactory. There was rubbish on the floor. Brown marks on the walls. You were unconvinced that those changes were consistent or were going to continue to improve. Something should have been done to make sure someone from your team or another team continued to offer support."

Mrs Hamilton replied: "That was the plan but unfortunately we had Covid and it was not possible to visit face-to-face." But Ms Power asserted: "A vulnerable young woman with mental health issues with four young children living in conditions you yourself do not believe to be satisfactory. Covid did not prevent that continued oversight because there were conditions put in place to continue safeguarding vulnerable families at risk during Covid."

The witness agreed but said she could not say why no one from her team followed up on the case after she left. Reflecting on her last visit, she agreed that Rose was "a woman who was trying her hardest with four very challenging children" and that she had seen her make time for each of them, giving them a hug and a kiss.

In July 2021, Ms Singh paid two home visits following concern about the children's behaviour at school, but repeated attempts to arrange more appointments ended in failure and the closure of the case. Ms Singh found the garden to be messy with lots of rubbish, but said that the children were clean and tidy, wearing matching white England shirts and shorts.

However on her return just days later, Rose, smelling of body odour, was "manic", and didn't appear to be looking after herself. The living conditions had worsened and Rose had told her that she had "dissociated" the day before, which made her faint, sleep and unable to focus.

Mrs Singh said she asked to see the children, but Rose claimed they were sleeping upstairs and ushered her out of the house. Her reattempts to meet with the family were unsuccessful, with the case then closed in September 2021 due to the mother's lack of "engagement".

Ms Power said: "You have got a decline in her physical appearance, a decline in the way she is looking after herself, a decline in her mental health, dissociating with her children with her. She's telling you that's likely to continue and she has point-blank refused to let you see the children. These are all alarm bells when you think about family intervention.

"It was not your decision to close the case but the reason you set out the concerns was because you yourself had those concern about Ms Rose and the boys." Ms Singh agreed but told jurors that her concerns had been dealt with by another social worker who had gone round later the same day as her last visit.

Judge Mark Lucraft KC said it was a “tragic case” as he adjourned sentencing to November 15 and granted Rose continued bail.