A man has been jailed for a minimum of 29 years for stabbing his wife to death before starting a house fire to conceal the murder.
Jurors found Amidu Koroma, 48, of Railton Road, Brixton, guilty of murdering Mariam Kamara, 46, on Thursday, October 12, following a trial at the Old Bailey.
He also received a concurrent seven-year sentence for arson.
Police described the murder as “brutal” and said that starting a fire to cover his tracks “put other members of the public at risk”.
Detectives launched a murder investigation after being called to a house fire on Railton Road in the early hours of January 24, 2022.
Koroma and the couple’s son escaped the blaze but Ms Kamara’s body was found in an upstairs bedroom. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police were immediately suspicious because Koroma had made little effort to save his wife from the burning building and had instead gathered clothes for his son.
They also found a large store of jerry cans containing petrol in the loft and detectives could smell accelerant coming from the vicinity of Ms Kamara’s body. This led them to believe the fire had been started deliberately.
Despite her body being severely damaged by the fire, a post-mortem examination found she’d suffered one or more stab wounds to the neck and chest before the fire was set.
Police undertook an extensive investigation which included a thorough search of the property, gathering witness statements and taking expert advice.
A forensic scientist was consulted who said it was likely the fire had been started by the ignition of petrol.
A consultant plastic surgeon also said a burn on Koroma’s foot of about eight to nine centimetres could only have happened through close contact with fire.
This contradicted Koroma’s claims that he’d been unable to access the room where the fire was to rescue his wife.
Forensic evidence also revealed Mariam’s blood was on his clothing as well as burn damage caused by a transient flame.
Detective Chief Inspector Chris Wood, who led the investigation, said: “This was a brutal murder and an appalling act of violence against a woman.
“After murdering his wife, Koroma then started a fire to cover up his actions. This was a further selfish act which put other members of the public at risk.
“My officers conducted an in-depth investigation into this murder and worked hard to gather a range of evidence which pointed to Koroma as the killer.
“Our thoughts are with Ms Kamara’s family and friends and in particular with her son who we continue to support through this trauma.
“The Met is committed to reducing violence against women and thankfully Ms Kamara’s killer has been brought to justice today.”