Deveca Rose: Mother left four young sons home alone 'several times' before fatal house fire, inquest hears

Deveca Rose, 29, had locked her two sets of twins inside their home in Sutton, south-west London, when a fire broke out on the evening of December 16, 2021.

Leyton and Logan Hoath, aged three, and Kyson and Bryson Hoath, aged four, were trapped inside the property and ran upstairs shouting for help. Firefighters discovered the boys unresponsive under beds, and despite being rushed to two hospitals, they did not survive.

The inquest at the Old Bailey heard testimony from Sally Johnson, the boys' paternal great-grandmother, who said she had repeatedly found the boys home alone when she called the house. "I remember several times I phoned the house and Kyson answered the phone and told me 'mummy has gone to the pop shop'," she said.

Mrs Johnson expressed concern over Rose’s care for the children, offering to help with childcare and household items, as she believed Rose was struggling. “I was aware that she would leave the boys by themselves in the house. When I asked her about this, she would say ‘oh no, I just went to the pop shop,’ which is a local shop just seven houses away,” Johnson stated.

However, despite these concerns, Mrs. Johnson also described Rose as a “good mum to the boys,” saying: “They were always taken to the park whether rain or shine because she wanted them to get fresh air.” She added, "They really were my world."

Rose has denied four counts of manslaughter and child cruelty. Jurors were told that Rose, who worked as a part-time carer, had been at Sainsbury's at the time of the fire. A friend had called her on the night of the fire, and Rose allegedly told her she had been gone “less than 10 minutes” before she started crying, “my babies, my babies.”

Paternal step-grandmother Kerrie Hoath described the boys as “polite, carefree, and very much loved,” but said Rose never allowed her into the back of the house. On one occasion, when she asked to use the toilet, Rose told her: “No, there is a Tesco down the road, you can go there.”

The boys’ teachers and nursery assistants described them as "happy, bright, bubbly children," full of character and affection. However, concerns had been raised in November 2021 after they were seen playing "make believe Squid Games," a reference to the violent Netflix series.

The trial continues as Rose maintains her innocence on all charges.