In the early hours of December 7th, 2003, a deliberate arson attack on a ground-floor flat in Green Park, Mackworth, Derbyshire, claimed the life of twenty-four-year-old Kenneth Broughton. His older brother, Neil Broughton, then twenty-six, survived but suffered serious burns and spent months in the hospital.
At around four a.m., at least a liter of gasoline was poured through the letterbox of the brothers’ flat and ignited. The fire spread rapidly through the ground-floor property. Neighbors heard the brothers crying for help as they became trapped in their bedrooms. Firefighters rescued them, but Kenneth sustained burns over approximately forty percent of his body and died the following morning from his injuries and smoke inhalation. Neil was critically ill for some time.
Police quickly determined that a flammable accelerant had been used, treating the death as murder. There was no clear motive apparent at the time, though investigators considered the possibility that the fire may have been intended as a more minor act that escalated tragically.
The Broughton brothers were described as gentle and reclusive individuals who kept to themselves. Both had learning difficulties, were obese, and moved slowly, traits that reportedly made them targets for bullying on the estate. Their home had been repeatedly pelted with eggs, stones, and bricks. Neil later told the court he had tried to photograph the culprits, considered installing CCTV, and even thought about moving away.
Police appealed for witnesses, particularly three youths seen nearby on Sloane Road, one with a BMX bicycle. In January 2004, two local teenagers (aged sixteen and seventeen) were charged with murder and arson with intent to endanger life.
The trial took place at Nottingham Crown Court in September 2004. Prosecutors alleged the youths poured gasoline through the letterbox, then walked away laughing as emergency services responded. A witness claimed to have seen one defendant near the scene with another teenager carrying a gas can. The defense maintained the boys were in bed at the time. Both teenagers were ultimately acquitted.
As of recent reports in 2026, the arson murder of Kenneth Broughton remains one of Derbyshire’s unresolved cold cases.
Crime Immemorial 