Eastbourne arson: Men jailed for house fire murders of mum and son

Jacob Barnard (left) and Andrew Milne were found guilty of the murder of a mother and four-year-old son

Two men have been jailed for the murder of a mother and her four-year-old son who died in a house fire they started following a row over a drugs-debt.

Gina Ingles, 34, and her son Milo Ingles-Bailey, died in July 2018 at their Eastbourne home. Ms Ingles' partner Toby Jarrett was also injured.

Jacob Barnard and Andrew Milne were sentenced to life in prison.

The pair were convicted on Thursday of the murder of Ms Ingles and Milo, and the attempted murder of Mr Jarrett.

Barnard was told he would serve a minimum of 36 years in prison, with Milne will serve 34 years.

'Crime of stealth and cowardice'

Sentencing the pair at Lewes Crown Court, Judge Mrs Justice Whipple said Barnard and Milne "both steadfastly denied any involvement in these events, saying they could not remember important details, fabricating incredible stories, or putting forward false alibis".

She said: "This was murder for gain, to send a message to other drug debtors, which makes the offence the more serious.

"This was a crime under cover of darkness, a crime of stealth and cowardice. They gave no warning, they lit the fire and disappeared into the night."

She said: "Mr Barnard and Mr Milne acted together, as part of a joint enterprise. They had only met recently. But they were friends, and more. They drank together. They took cocaine together. And they worked together. They were equals."

Barnard is currently serving an eight-year prison sentence in Portugal for possession of drugs and weapons and will then be transferred to the UK to serve the remainder of his minimum term, the judge said.

Gina Ingles, 34, and four-year-old Milo Ingles-Bailey died, while her partner Toby Jarrett, 28, suffered serious burns

The family's home in Croxden Way, Eastbourne, was set alight by Barnard and Milne in the early hours of 10 July 2018.

Mr Jarrett had woken at about 01:30 BST to find the house filled with smoke.

He fell from the bedroom window, and was seriously injured and suffered from extensive burns, while Ms Ingles went to get Milo from another room.

The bodies of the mother and son were only found several days later huddled under a bedroom window, once the fire service had ensured the gutted building was safe to enter.

'Fear and terror'

The jury was told Mr Jarrett owed money to a local drug dealer, who in turn owed money to Barnard.

In a victim impact statement read to the court, Ms Ingles mother said: "Our whole family has been, and is still totally devastated.

"I still close my eyes at night and imagine Gina waking to find the house on fire, I imagine her running to get Milo from his room and imagine the fear and terror that she must have felt.

"Even as justice is done, it does not really change a thing for us, as it does not bring Gina and Milo back to us."

At the time firefighters described the house fire as "ferocious"

DNA matching Barnard, aged 32, was found on a lighter, and DNA matching Milne was found on a petrol can left outside the family's home. Milne worked as a debt collector for Barnard, the court heard.

CCTV images showed the two men walking away from scene of the fire just before 01.00 BST on 10 July 2018.

A Mercedes ML270 4x4 car, owned by Barnard, was spotted on vehicle number plate recognition camera systems driving into Eastbourne on the night of the fire, and then leaving the town shortly after the time the blaze started.

John Tabakis then drove the 4x4 to Newhaven before crossing the Channel and driving to Portugal where Barnard lived and had a car dealing business.

Tabakis was found guilty of perverting the course of justice and will be sentenced at a later date.

The jury also found 42-year-old Milne, who is from Hastings, guilty of being in possession of a prohibited weapon.

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