Mother Convicted of Manslaughter in House Fire that Killed Her Four Sons
Deveca Rose, 30, has been found guilty of manslaughter following the deaths of her four young sons in a house fire after she left them home alone to go shopping. The tragic blaze, which occurred on the evening of December 16, 2021, claimed the lives of two sets of twins—three-year-olds Leyton and Logan, and four-year-olds Kyson and Bryson—at their home in Sutton, southwest London.
Despite her denial of the charges, including manslaughter and child cruelty, an Old Bailey jury deliberated for just over three hours, convicting Rose on four counts of manslaughter by a majority of 11 to one. She was acquitted of child cruelty. Judge Mark Lucraft KC called it a “tragic case” and has scheduled her sentencing for November 15, allowing Rose to remain on bail until then.
Prosecutor Kate Lumsdon KC described the deplorable conditions inside the house, where rubbish was piled up, rendering the toilet and bath unusable. Instead, buckets and pots were used as makeshift toilets.
On the night of the fire, Rose had left her four boys locked inside the house, where a fire broke out—likely caused by a cigarette or tea light in the living room. The boys, trapped inside, ran upstairs calling for help as flames consumed the home. A neighbor tried to break down the front door, but firefighters, who arrived wearing breathing equipment, later found the boys’ bodies hidden under their beds. Despite being rushed to the hospital, the children succumbed to smoke inhalation.
Rose returned to the scene as firefighters were still battling the flames and was taken in by a neighbor. She initially told authorities that she had left the children with a friend named Jade, prompting emergency crews to re-enter the house in search of the person. However, investigations revealed that no such person existed or had been present that night.
During police interviews, Rose admitted to leaving her sons home alone on at least two previous occasions. Their father, Dalton Hoath, expressed his heartbreak at the loss of his “young, boisterous lads,” saying the tragedy had turned his world “upside down.”
Sally Johnson, the boys’ paternal great-grandmother, testified that she had raised concerns about Rose leaving the children alone, only to be dismissed with the excuse that Rose was just running to a nearby shop. Johnson recounted occasions when Kyson would answer the phone and say, “Mummy has gone to the pop shop.”
Paternal step-grandmother Kerrie Hoath described the boys as “polite, carefree, and very much loved” but noted that Rose often limited her visits and created a tense environment.
The court also heard that a social worker had previously raised concerns about the family, but the case had been closed just three months before the fire. During the trial, defense barrister Laurie-Anne Power KC argued that Rose’s deteriorating mental and physical health should have prompted greater intervention before the tragedy occurred.