Inquest date set seven years after family of five murdered in arson attack

A date has been set for the inquest into the deaths of a mother and four of her children, almost seven years on from a deadly arson attack.

The blaze claimed the lives of Demi Pearson, 15, her brother Brandon, eight, and sisters Lacie, seven, and Lia, three.

Their mother Michelle Pearson suffered 68% burns to her body and “clung on to life” until she died, aged 37, on August 25 2019 – 20 months after the attack.

She had “begged” to be rehoused and called police on five occasions in the two weeks before the fatal attack, the trial of her killers heard.

Zak Bolland and David Worrall were both given four life sentences and told they would serve a minimum of 40 and 37 years respectively for the petrol bomb attack on the Pearson family home on Jackson Street in Walkden, Greater Manchester, in the early hours of December 11, 2017.

Bolland’s girlfriend, Courtney Brierley, 20, was jailed for 21 years for four counts of manslaughter after the trial at Manchester Crown Court in 2018.

But at a pre-inquest review at Bolton Coroners Court on Tuesday, the hearing was told the report into the safeguarding review was not to be made public.

Sophie Cartwright KC, representing Salford City Council children’s services, said a decision had been made at a “national level” not to publicise the report.

Senior coroner for Greater Manchester West Timothy Brennand said a copy of the report was provided for his inspection, which he said was “revelatory of matters that I thought were important”.

Mr Brennand said the local authority was not trying to be “obstinate”, but publication of the report could lead to “potential ramifications” for other individuals.

But he added: “We are going to be canvassing these matters in any event.”

He said an issue for the inquest will be whether a real and immediate risk to the family ought to have been seen and whether “acts or omissions” by agencies had a “causative bearing on the outcome.”

Each time police attended and she named Bolland as responsible.

She saw at least six different officers, statements were made, risk referral forms completed, fire service personnel carried out two “safe and well” visits, the family social worker was informed and social services alerted.

Mrs Pearson told her housing provider, City West, she did not feel safe at home with her children and wanted out.

City West said it never received any request for a move, believed to have been handled by Salford City Council.

Officers from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) took a statement from Mrs Pearson on the night of the fire, having been called out after Bolland had been round “kicking off”.

It is not clear if officers immediately actively sought out Bolland, who lived around 300 yards from her and was at home at the time the officers called.

Hours later he returned to the Pearsons’ home armed with two petrol bombs.

Further pre-inquest hearings are scheduled for February 26 and April 11 next year, followed by the full inquest, scheduled to take five weeks, beginning on June 2.