Irish Daily Mail

Parents held af ter four children die in a blaze

Mother and father accused of manslaught­er due to negligence

- By Claire Duffin

A MOTHER and father were arrested yesterday after a house fire in which four children died.

Natalie Unitt, 24, and her 28year-old partner Chris Moulton were held on suspicion of gross negligence manslaught­er.

The couple were held as they recovered in hospital following the blaze at their home in Stafford, in the English midlands, on Tuesday.

Their children Keegan, six, Tilly Rose, four, and three-year-old Olly died after the fire in the early hours. Riley, Ms Unitt’s eight-yearold son from a previous relationsh­ip, was also killed.

The couple escaped from a firstfloor window with their youngest child, Jack, aged two – who survived the blaze.

They were arrested yesterday in hospital in Stoke on Trent, where they were being treated for burns and smoke inhalation. The pair remained in custody last night.

The blaze caused huge damage to the roof and first floor of the three-bedroom rented home.

Neighbours told how they were woken by loud bangs and looked out their windows to see the property ablaze, prompting speculatio­n a boiler had exploded.

A gas-fired heating system was installed at the housing associatio­n property in 2014, according to Stafford Borough Council’s website. The cause of the fire is not yet known. Police said investigat­ions were ongoing. Residents in the area have been left devastated by the children’s deaths, and more than £28,000 (€32,000) has been raised for the family.

Hundreds attended a candle-lit Burnt-out: Family’s home vigil at the scene on Thursday evening. They lay teddies and flowers and prayers were said. The youngsters’ teachers have described them as ‘bright, happy, lovely and lively’ children.

Ms Unitt described herself on Facebook as a ‘proud mummy’. Friends said her children were ‘her world’ and that she had been left broken by their deaths.

Gross negligence manslaught­er is defined in English law as a death that occurs as a result of a negligent act or omission. Staffordsh­ire police urged the public not to speculate on the blaze’s causes.

The force said: ‘Following an update from investigat­ors into the probable cause of the fire, we have arrested a 24-year-old woman and a 28-year-old man on suspicion of manslaught­er by gross negligence. The arrests were made at around 1.30pm. The man and woman are in custody.

‘This incident has had a huge impact on the community and we understand there will be confusion and a demand for informatio­n.

‘However, we would urge people not to speculate as to what may have happened and appeal for patience as the investigat­ion continues.

‘We will provide further updates as soon as we are able.’

Bystanders heard how Ms Unitt desperatel­y screamed for her children after jumping from a bedroom window to escape the fire.

A neighbour, who asked not to be named, said: ‘As the fire raged, I saw Natalie and Chris wrapped in blankets outside. She was screaming, “My babies!”’

Another neighbour said she heard Ms Unitt shouting for her ‘babies’, adding: ‘I heard a massive bang. I went to look outside and saw a massive fire come out of the upstairs window of the house.

‘The man had a baby in his arms and the mum was wrapped in a duvet standing in the street.’

A relative of Ms Unitt said the tragedy would ‘break’ the devoted mother. Sarah Pearce, 26, said: ‘Natalie was born to be a mother. It’s all she wanted to do.’

news@dailymail.ie

‘She was shouting for her babies’

 ??  ?? Tragedy: Natalie Unitt and her partner Chris Moulton with the four children who died in the fire
Tragedy: Natalie Unitt and her partner Chris Moulton with the four children who died in the fire

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