CCTV of petrol bombing on Sheffield home revealed one year on as police say they have ‘insufficient evidence’
The community on Wordsworth Avenue, Parson Cross, Sheffield, was enjoying a peaceful evening on March 21, 2023, when two cars arrived at the city neighbourhood at 8.54pm. Within seconds, a two-storey home was ablaze, putting four people's lives at risk and gutting the house before the hour was out.
Now, South Yorkshire Police has confirmed the force has been unable to prosecute anyone over the devastating attack. Sister paper The Star[1] has revealed CCTV of the moment the house went up in flames as a number of men fled the scene.
The footage shows how, at 8.54pm on March 21, 2023, a car arrived outside the home on Wordsworth Avenue. Seconds later, the second storey was set ablaze by an explosion.
This was the scene on the morning of March 22, 2023, after it is believed a petrol bomb was thrown the night before at a two-storey home on Wordsworth Avenue, Parsons Cross, Sheffield.
A man then sprinted down the street in the direction of Donovan Road and appeared to bang on the rear window of a moving car, then ran back up again towards the home and disappearing from sight. The car then drove away at high speed.
Another man also piles into rear-driver's side door of a parked white car, which speeds away.
In the following days, police arrested two men - aged 29 and 31 at the time - on suspicion of arson endangering life.
Now, however, South Yorkshire Police has confirmed: "No further action was taken against the suspects due to insufficient evidence."
The moment of the explosion at the the two-storey home on Wordsworth Avenue at 8.54pm on April 21, 2023.
At the time, neighbours told of how they looked out their windows to see smoke "billowing out of the house". They heard "a lot of screaming" as the fire quickly spread to the entire property.
Within minutes of the explosion, South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue arrived at the scene, with firefighters rescuing two people from inside – a seven-year-old girl and a 47-year-old woman.
Two men reportedly got themselves out of the house – one of whom leapt from a second storey window.
In the days that followed, a 42-year-old man, a 47-year-old woman called Helen and her six-year-old daughter, Destiny, remained in hospital receiving treatment. The family’s two pet dogs – a Japanese Akita and an American Bully – died in the horror blaze.
One woman told The Star how she and her neighbours rushed to help the people inside.
She said: "There was a loud bang and an explosion. The house caught fire immediately. We were not even able to go inside and get them out ourselves.
"A man jumped from the window and hurt themselves, and they were all covered in blood. He was lying on the grass and he wanted to go back inside, and I had to tell him not to move until paramedics arrived. I was sat with him for 15 or 20 minutes talking to him and trying to calm him down.
"The fire engines arrived in minutes. I saw them get the little girl out. She was traumatised but was awake and talking with the fire officer. I know the woman who was brought out, I see her around the neighbourhood. She is like a friend. It was all so horrible. I barely slept last night. I will never forget it."
The emergency response included four fire engines, four ambulances and at least six police vehicles.
Another neighbour said: "We’re all traumatized. I feel so sorry for the people who live there and what they’ve been through."
Anyone who believes they can help police bring the offenders in the firebombing to justice can contact South Yorkshire Police by calling 101, quoting incident number 1041 of March 21, 2023. Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
References
- ^ Sister paper The Star (www.thestar.co.uk)