Mum and children ‘petrified’ before fatal Walkden arson attack, court hears
Mother-of-six Michelle Pearson, 37, told police she did not feel safe after having her windows smashed, her bin set on fire and graffiti on walls at her house on Jackson Street
Four children murdered in an arson attack as they slept had been left “petrified” after a series of attacks on the property, an inquest heard.
Mother-of-six Michelle Pearson, 37, told police she did not feel safe after having her windows smashed, her bin set on fire and graffiti on walls at her house on Jackson Street, Walkden, as part of an escalating feud, Bolton Coroner’s Court heard.
The firebombing in December 2017 claimed the lives of Ms Pearson’s children, Demi Pearson, 15, her brother Brandon, eight, and sisters Lacie, seven, and Lia, three.
Zak Bolland, 26, and David Worrall, 28, were both jailed for life the following year for the murders.
Ms Pearson suffered 68% burns to her body and “clung on to life” until she died on August 25, 2019, around 20 months after the attack.
Her mother, Sandra Lever, said in a statement to the court her daughter had been desperate to move house.
She said: “Michelle was beyond distressed.
“She was not eating. The children were petrified of living in Jackson Street.”
Relatives of the family believe their deaths were “wholly preventable” and have raised the question of “missed opportunities” to protect them by state agencies.
Timothy Brennand, senior coroner for Greater Manchester West, opening the inquest, expected to last around eight weeks, told the hearing: “This is not a trial, this is not an exercise in blame and shame.”
He said the inquest would seek to examine whether there was “any predictable threat to life” and “what could or should have been done that might have prevented these deaths”.
The coroner said the inquest aims to give the Pearson family a voice but added that their concerns, “coalesce into two words of rhetoric – ‘What if?’”
Mr Brennand read the remarks of Mr Justice Davis, who jailed for life the family’s killers, Bolland and Worrall, who carried out the attack with petrol bombs in the dead of night.
Mr Brennand said the judge had determined a series of tit-for-tat attacks had taken place as part of a feud in the lead-up to the fatal firebombing, but what lay behind the dispute had never been made public.
In a statement, Sanda Lever, Michelle’s mother, told of the difficulties her daughter was having, suffering attacks on her home and fear for her children.
Ms Lever said her daughter had visited her housing provider to say she was in danger but had been told she did not meet the criteria for emergency housing.
Her children were having nightmares and Brandon had told her he no longer wanted to live in their home, but Ms Pearson felt “fobbed off”, the hearing was told.
Ms Lever’s statement continued: “Michelle was beyond distressed. She was not eating. The children were petrified of living in Jackson Street.”
Elaine Williams, a neighbour, said just weeks before the arson attack she saw Bolland smashing the windows of Ms Pearson’s house with a hammer.
Mrs Williams said: “She wanted to move from there. She was fed up of all the trouble. She just wanted out.
“Michelle, her nerves were shot. She was at her wits’ end, she was worried.”
Earlier, Anna Morris KC, representing the Pearson family, read pen portraits about each of the victims from their families.
She described Michelle Pearson as a devoted mother who read her children bedtime stories each night.
After suffering massive injuries herself in the blaze, for some time during lengthy hospital treatment she was not aware her children were dead, but her mental health deteriorated after she was given the news.
She died in hospital, her family placing a crucifix in her hand around a photo of her children.
“We know she’s back with her children and out of pain,” the family statement said.
Demi was described as a “happy, smiley child” who was “best friends” with her mother.
Brandon had an infectious smile and was a “mummy’s boy” while his sister Lacie was a little “diva” and Lia a little chatterbox with a cheeky laugh.
“All of the children had such bright futures ahead of them,” the family statement said, adding: “We cherish the short time we shared with them.”
Bolland and Worrall were both given four life sentences and told they would serve a minimum of 40 and 37 years respectively for the petrol bombing.
Bolland’s girlfriend, Courtney Brierley, 20, was jailed for 21 years for four counts of manslaughter.
The inquest continues.