Michelle Pearson spent 20 months fighting for her life after a petrol bomb attack destroyed her family home and killed all four of her young children.
When the 37-year-old mother finally died in hospital, she was still holding on to the memory of the children she had lost. An inquest has heard that Michelle died clutching a photograph of her four children, with a crucifix around the picture.
Demi, 15, Brandon, eight, Lacie, seven, and three-year-old Lia were killed in the blaze at the family’s home on Jackson Street in Walkden, Greater Manchester, in December 2017.
Michelle suffered burns to 68 per cent of her body and spent five months in a coma before eventually dying from her injuries on August 25, 2019.
Now, almost nine years after the devastating attack, a long-delayed inquest is examining the circumstances surrounding the deaths and the events leading up to the fire.
Family had warned they were not safe
The inquest at Bolton Coroner’s Court has heard that Michelle had repeatedly expressed fears about the safety of her family in the weeks before the fatal attack.
Her home had already been subjected to a series of incidents, including smashed windows, a wheelie bin being set on fire and graffiti being painted on the walls.
The attacks were linked to an escalating feud involving Michelle’s teenage son, Kyle Pearson, and Zak Bolland.
Relatives have told the inquest that Michelle was desperate to leave the property because she believed the situation was becoming increasingly dangerous.
Her mother, Sandra Lever, said Michelle had been deeply distressed and that the children were frightened to remain in the house.
“She was not eating. The children were petrified of living in Jackson Street,” Sandra said in a statement read to the court.
She also said Michelle had approached her housing provider because she believed the family was in danger, but was told she did not meet the requirements for emergency accommodation.
According to evidence heard at the inquest, Michelle felt she was being “fobbed off” despite repeatedly raising concerns.
Relatives now believe the deaths were “wholly preventable” and have questioned whether opportunities to protect the family were missed.
A series of attacks came before the fire
The warning signs were not limited to complaints about damage to the property.
Neighbour Elaine Williams told the inquest that, only weeks before the fatal fire, she saw Bolland attacking the Pearson family’s home with a hammer and smashing its windows.
Mrs Williams said Michelle wanted to leave the area and was increasingly overwhelmed by what was happening.
“She wanted to move from there. She was fed up of all the trouble. She just wanted out,” she said.
“Michelle, her nerves were shot. She was at her wits’ end, she was worried.”
Earlier court proceedings established that the fatal attack was the culmination of a series of tit-for-tat incidents connected to the feud.
Timothy Brennand, senior coroner for Greater Manchester West, told the hearing that a judge at the murder trial had determined that a sequence of retaliatory attacks had taken place before the firebombing.
However, he said what originally lay behind the dispute had never been made public.
Two petrol bombs were used
In the early hours of December 11, 2017, Bolland and David Worrall made two petrol bombs—one using a large clear bottle and another using a beer bottle.
The pair then targeted the Pearson family home.
The inquest heard that Worrall smashed a rear window and threw one of the devices inside. It ignited, but only to a limited extent.
Bolland’s petrol bomb caused far greater destruction, exploding with considerable force as flames rapidly spread through the house.
The resulting fire trapped members of the family inside.
Demi, Brandon and Lacie died in the blaze, while Lia was rescued but later died in hospital. Michelle survived the immediate fire but sustained catastrophic burns that would ultimately claim her life 20 months later.
The tragedy left one of the family’s children, Kyle, as a survivor of the attack.
Killers were jailed for life
Bolland and Worrall were convicted of murdering the four children and were sentenced to life imprisonment in 2018.
Bolland was ordered to serve a minimum of 40 years, while Worrall was given a minimum term of 37 years.
Bolland’s girlfriend at the time, Courtney Brierley, was convicted of four counts of manslaughter and sentenced to 21 years in prison.
The case later returned to court after Michelle died from the injuries she had suffered in the same fire.
In 2021, Bolland and Worrall were found guilty of Michelle’s murder as well. They were each given further life sentences, with the additional sentences ordered to run from that point rather than from their original 2018 convictions.
Michelle’s final months
Michelle’s injuries were so severe that she spent months in hospital and five months in a coma.
Despite the enormous physical and emotional trauma, she continued to fight to survive after learning that all four of her children had died.
Her death on August 25, 2019 came 20 months after the fire.
The story of her final moments has now emerged during the inquest, with the hearing told that she died while holding a photograph of Demi, Brandon, Lacie and Lia and a crucifix.
The tragedy was not only the loss of four children in a single night. Michelle’s own life was ultimately cut short by the injuries she suffered while trapped in the same blaze.
Questions over whether the tragedy could have been prevented
The inquest is also revisiting the concerns raised before the attack and whether authorities could have done more to protect the family.
Evidence has highlighted Michelle’s repeated contact with police and her attempts to find alternative housing while the threats against the family were escalating.
The case has previously prompted scrutiny of police contact with Michelle and her family. The Independent Office for Police Conduct reopened its investigation after a review found that the threshold for reinvestigation had been met. That review covered contact between Greater Manchester Police and the Pearson family from November 26 to December 11, 2017, including reports of damage to the property and threats against the family.
The current inquest is therefore examining not only the circumstances of the fatal fire, but also the events and warnings that preceded it.
Almost nine years after the attack, Michelle’s family continues to seek answers about whether more could have been done before the petrol bombs were thrown.
For the Pearson family, the central question remains painfully simple: could the deaths of Michelle and her four children have been prevented?