A man who killed his neighbour and her two daughters by setting their flat on fire will serve at least 44 years in prison.
Fatoumatta Hydara, 28, died along with Fatimah and Naeemah Drammeh, aged three and one, after their home in Fairisle Close, Clifton, was set alight in November last year.
Jamie Barrow, 31, had admitted their manslaughter but denied murder, insisting he assumed the property was empty when he poured petrol through the letter box and started the blaze.
Triple murderer jailed for at least 44 years
On Tuesday this week, a jury found him guilty on three counts of murder and one count of arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered.
Barrow, who lived in the same block of flats as his victims, was back at Nottingham Crown Court today (Friday, 7 July) for sentencing.
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During the hearing, prosecutor Simon Ash KC said Barrow had taken the lives of three innocent people for no clear motive, adding the murders were unprovoked and had a “degree of planning and premeditation”.
He added Barrow had opted to stop taking prescribed medication for Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder, which he was diagnosed with in 2013, and chose to drink around ten cans of lager in the hours leading up to the fire, despite knowing the negative impact alcohol had on his mood.
In mitigation, Christopher Henley, who represented Barrow during the trial, said his client had struggled the whole of his life with his mental health and was going through a “particularly bleak period” when he started the fire on 20 November last year.
The verdict and judges comment
After listening to the counsel arguments, The Honourable Mrs Justice Tipples, a High Court judge, handed Barrow a life sentence, adding he will serve a minimum of 44 years before he becomes eligible for parole.
She said: “Seconds after you lit the fire you heard the fire alarm in the flat go off. You did nothing.
“Seconds after that you heard Fatoumatta screaming from the flat. You did nothing.
“Rather, you stood and watched the fire take hold and you stood there watching the fire develop and spread for five minutes, which is an enormous length of time in the circumstances.”
Mrs Justice Tipples told Barrow only he knew why he murdered the young family, but that she was sure he was angry at the time having been spurned by a woman he wanted to pursue a relationship with.
She added: “I am sure that slightly after 4.30pm on Saturday 19 November you heard Mrs Hydara and her children arrive back at their home. You could always hear Mrs Hydara and her children when they were home as their flat adjourned your living room.
“That afternoon Fatimah and Naeemah were lively and playful. Their mother was wondering how she was going to get them to settle.
“You heard those children having fun and playing. Then at 5pm you started drinking. Drinking was the last thing you should have done in the mental state you were in.”
The judge went on to say she did not accept Barrow had shown “any genuine remorse”. She told Barrow: “You have sought to minimise responsibility for what you have done. You have, throughout this trial, maintained you did not know your neighbours were home. That was a lie.”
Suzanne Llewellyn, Crown Prosecution Service
Suzanne Llewellyn from the CPS said: “Today’s sentence reflects the gravity of Jamie Barrow’s crime.
“We have reminded the court of his actions on the night last November and his complete disregard for what would happen to his neighbours when he set the fire.
“Through his self-centred actions, he took the lives of a mother and two young children with their lives ahead of them.
“This was an offence that affected the whole community, but first and foremost our hearts go out to the family and friends of Fatoumatta, Fatima and Naeema.
“They have endured so much, yet they have behaved with dignity throughout this harrowing trial.
“I hope that being able to see Jamie Barrow face the consequences of his criminal actions will give them some closure and enable them to rebuild their lives. “
DCI Clare Dean, Nottinghamshire Police
During the trial, jurors were told there was no clear motive for the killings. Following today’s sentencing, Detective Chief Inspector Clare Dean, of Nottinghamshire Police’s Major Crime unit, called on Barrow to tell the truth about what motivated him to commit the murders.
She said: “The sudden loss of Fatoumatta, Fatimah and Naeemah shattered a kind, gentle and compassionate family – and the senseless nature of their deaths has been incredibly hard for them to take.
“These were the cruellest of murders. They happened at night and at the family’s home, where they were entitled to feel safe and secure.
“It is testament to the reverent nature of the family that – despite their monumental loss – hatred is not what they feel towards Jamie Barrow. Instead, they just want to know why this happened.
“Barrow wasn’t brave enough to admit these murders, but I hope he does one day find the courage to explain why he committed such an atrocious crime.
“Whatever the reason, he is a very dangerous man. He isn’t safe to be in society which is why we welcome today’s sentencing.
“While it doesn’t bring back Fatoumatta, Fatimah and Naeemah, we hope it offers a degree of comfort to the family that the man responsible is behind bars where he can’t hurt anyone else.
“This was also a particularly difficult case for the community, and I would again like to thank local people for their cooperation and support throughout this investigation.”
Victims’ family addresses Barrow
Before the sentencing was passed, Mrs Hydara’s husband Aboubacarr Drammeh took to the witness stand and described how he had to identify the bodies of his wife and children on his 40th birthday.
Addressing Barrow for approximately one hour, Mr Drammeh – who was supported by a large number of family members in the courtroom – told the triple killer: “The impact of your actions span across three continents – Africa, America, and Europe.
“As a husband, and a father, you have ruined me. I am irreparable. Your actions are slowly eating me up, and that will continue perhaps until I die. Slowly I am decaying. That is how I feel.”
Mr Drammeh recalled a trip to Gambia with Fatoumatta and the girls, where the family originates from.
He told Barrow: “Fatoumatta and Fatimah had a good time watering my mom’s garden. Little Fatimah enjoyed feeding the goats and sheeps with my Dad. Naeemah was so little, she was not even walking. Because of you, I’m left with pictures and videos. Because of you, we can’t repeat those moments.”
Describing his hopes for his daughters, he added: “Fatoumatta and I were grateful and happy to be parents. Our goal was to do our best and raise them to become good citizens.
“We did our best to teach them about our religion as well as cultural and secular matters. Fatoumatta did most of this – she had clear visions and goals for them. She would do anything for them and wanted them to be good citizens.”
Telling Barrow about Fatimah, he revealed the three-year-old enjoyed watching Teletubbies, “pushing a little shopping cart around Lidl” and riding the tram in Nottingham.
“Fatimah loved waving at the tram driver,” Mr Drammeh said. “She also imitated the announcement, ‘This tram is for Clifton South, the next stop is—‘. I can never get those words out of my mind. Because of your actions, I now find it difficult to ride the tram.”
Like her elder sister, Mr Drammeh said one-year-old Naeemah also lived a “short but meaningful life” that had been filled with “joy and happiness”.
He then described the caring and compassionate nature of his late wife, Fatoumatta, who he married in 2014.
“Fatoumatta was modest, honest, and obedient. She maintained and valued her Islamic traditions, African culture, and assimilated into British society. Trust me, she loved fish and chips. We used the same stores you used.
“I lost, her parents lost, her family and friends lost, but Nottingham and the entire UK lost a great human being. She volunteered her time and worked when she could.
“If you had knocked on her door to ask her for help – money, food, someone to talk to, she would have.”
Finally he added: “Most days it feels like I am serving a life sentence. You, Jamie Edwin Barrow, you acted like the judge and jury that night and you sentenced me to whatever this is.
“I have no hatred for you. Your actions I hate. You as a human being? No. I won’t hate you.
“One question remains – why. Why her and the children? I just want to know the real why.”
A statement from Mrs Hydara’s mother Aminata Dibba, which also addressed Barrow directly, was read out in court on her behalf.
It read: “The crime you committed against my daughter and granddaughters has caused me great emotional, psychological, and financial pain – the impact of which we as a family have yet to fully understand.
“I went to Sunday market in the early morning of November 20th with the intention of buying toys for my granddaughters. Fatimah wanted building blocks. I got the building blocks, unfortunately, they never got to see the toys I got for them.”
The statement added: “The way I have felt over the past few months after the death of my daughter and granddaughters has been like watching a tragedy and not being able to do anything about it.
“I wake up every day thinking of how I’m going to adapt to the new world I have been forced into by the actions of such a heartless human being.”
