A man has been charged with the murders of a mother and her two daughters following a flat fire in Nottingham.
Fatoumatta Hydara and her two young daughters – Fatimah, three, and one-year-old Naeemah – died in hospital following a blaze at their Clifton home on Sunday.
Nottinghamshire Police said on Thursday that Jamie Barrow, 31, has been charged with their murders.
The mother and two children were taken to Queen’s Medical Centre after the blaze in Fairisle Close, Clifton, in the early hours of Sunday, with the sisters pronounced dead at the hospital.
Police said their 28-year-old mother had been placed on a life support machine, but died on Tuesday morning.
A joint fire and police investigation concluded that the blaze was started deliberately.
Officers said Barrow, of Fairisle Close, would be kept in custody overnight to appear at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on Friday.
Assistant Chief Constable Rob Griffin, of Nottinghamshire Police, 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.”
He added that large teams of detectives have been “working relentlessly” alongside specialist search units and forensic experts to understand the full circumstances behind the 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,” he said.
Speaking on behalf of the family, Fatoumatta’s uncle, Dawda Dibba, told journalists on Thursday: “We lost a beautiful, very, very beautiful soul.
“Fatoumatta is such an incredible person. She wouldn’t even hurt a fly.
“She wouldn’t hurt anyone in her life. It’s really hard.”
Another Uncle, Bubacarr Dibba, added: “Fatoumatta is the best friend of her mum. That’s the main thing I’m fighting with, how my sister will live without her daughter and the only grandchildren. It’s just so tragic.”
