Widower whose wife and daughters, three and one, were ‘murdered’ in house fire faces neighbour accused of killing them for the first time in court
- Jamie Barrow, 31, is accused of murdering neighbour and her two children
- A flat fire killed Fatimah Drammeh, three, and Naeemah Drammeh, one
- Their mother Fatoumatta Hydara, 28, died in hospital two days after the blaze
- The defendant, Barrow from Clifton, Nottingham, faces trial in May next year
Court sketch of Jamie Barrow in the dock at Nottingham Crown Court, accused of murdering Fatoumatta Hydara and her daughters Fatimah and Naeemah Drammeh
A man accused of murdering his ‘kind’ voluntary worker neighbour and her two young daughters was told he will face trial in May next year as he appeared in court for a hearing watched by the children’s father.
Jamie Barrow, from Clifton, Nottingham, was arrested on Sunday November 20 after a flat fire in the early hours killed Fatimah Drammeh, three, and Naeemah Drammeh, one.
Their mother Fatoumatta Hydara, 28, died in hospital two days later, after suffering smoke inhalation in the blaze at her home in Clifton.
Barrow appeared at Nottingham Crown Court on Monday for a short hearing which was attended by 12 members of the victims’ family, including the children’s father – and Fatoumatta’s husband – Aboubacarr Drammeh.
Barrow, 31, appeared in the dock wearing a plain grey long-sleeved top and jogging bottoms, and spoke only to confirm his name.
Adjourning the case, Judge Nirmal Shant KC told Barrow: ‘Stand up please. Your trial is fixed for the 22nd of May.
‘There will be other hearings before that and the next hearing date, as far as you are concerned, will be the 17th of February. In the meantime you are remanded in custody.’
Mr Drammeh, 40, pictured with his wife Fatoumatta Hydara, 28, and their two children Fatimah, three, and Naeemah, one
Barrow, from Clifton, Nottingham, was arrested on Sunday November 20 after the flat fire
Balloons, flowers and other tributes left outside the flat in Clifton, Nottingham, following the fatal fire
Following the hearing, in which legal submissions were made by defence and prosecution barristers, Judge Shant thanked everyone present in court for keeping ‘understandable’ emotions in check.
The trial of Barrow, who arrived at court from prison around an hour late, is likely to last for up to three weeks, the court heard.
The victims’ father and husband Mr Drammeh, 40, issued a statement at the weekend in which he described how he had to identify his loved ones’ bodies in a hospital mortuary on his birthday.
Mr Drammeh was in the US at the time of the tragedy and flew back to Britain upon hearing the news.
He has previously described the deaths as ‘inconceivable’ and paid tribute to his wife, a former voluntary worker, as a gentle person who was kind to everyone she met.
In a heartbreaking tribute he said: ‘Fatoumatta was a very happy, bubbly woman who wouldn’t have the heart to hurt a fly.
Aboubacarr Drammeh was in the US at the time of the tragedy and flew back to Britain upon hearing the news about his family
‘I and my in-laws are left without any daughters, grandchildren and nieces. I will deeply miss my family.
‘It is with great sadness that we have lost Fatoumatta and our two daughters in such a tragic way.’
Assistant Chief Constable Rob Griffin, of Notts Police, previously said: ‘Our thoughts remain with the family at this incredibly painful time, as well as the communities that have been affected by this most tragic of incidents. The grief this family has been put through is incomprehensible.
‘Large teams of detectives have been working relentlessly alongside specialist search units and forensic experts to understand the full circumstances behind this deliberate fire.
‘Following those inquiries, we have charged a suspect with three counts of murder. The family are aware of this development and I would like to sincerely thank them for their patience and understanding as we do everything we possibly can to gain justice for Fatoumatta, Fatimah and Naeemah.’