Vigil held in Barnsley 10 years on from deaths of two boys in house fire started by dad
Crowds lit candles and sang songs in memory of Jack and Paul
A vigil has been held at Barnsley Town Hall to mark 10 years since the deaths of two young boys, who died after a house fire started by their dad.
Jack Sykes, 12, and younger brother Paul, nine, died after a blaze on October 22 2014.
An inquest heard how the boys' father, Darren Sykes, lured his sons into the attic of the property in Tennyson Close in Penistone with a new train set and then barricaded house before setting it on fire.
The two boys were rescued from the house with their father but Paul and Mr Sykes, 44, died later the same evening.
Jack was taken to a specialist unit in Manchester but died almost a week later.
Darren was allowed access to the children as part of an unsupervised court ordered visit, despite concerns being raised about his abuse past.
Dozens of people gathered in the town centre last night at an event organised by the boys' mum Claire Throssell.
She has spent much of the last decade campaigning for the law to be changed to better protect victims of domestic abuse and their children.
Crowds lit candles and sang songs in memory of the pair during the gathering.
Speaking to Hits Radio South Yorkshire, Claire said: "I was so touched by how many people came"
"I wasn't just people coming from the community, it was Jack's friends, Paul's friends... people from Springwell School where Jack and Paul both went."
"It was just so humbling that everybody turned up... and we shone a light today on domestic abuse... we shone a light on the pain and some of the things that can happen with unsafe child contact."
"We made Jack and Paul's memories shine."