Forty-seven-year-old Diane Carrington lived in a first-floor flat at 24E Fern Court on Drakefell Road, New Cross, southeast London with her fifteen-year-old daughter.
During the night of October 4th, 2007, someone targeted the home with extraordinary violence. According to investigators, gasoline was poured through the front door letterbox before being deliberately set alight.
The fuel ignited almost instantly, causing an explosion powerful enough to send flames rapidly throughout the flat. Residents described hearing a loud blast before smoke and fire filled the building. Emergency services rushed to the scene, but the intensity of the blaze made rescue efforts extremely difficult.
While Diane’s daughter survived the attack, Diane herself suffered catastrophic injuries. Despite emergency treatment, she died as a result of the fire.
Fire investigators quickly ruled out an accident. Examinations of the scene revealed clear evidence that an accelerant had been used. Detectives concluded that approximately half a gallon of gasoline had been deliberately introduced through the letterbox before being ignited from outside the property. The method demonstrated planning and intent, transforming what might otherwise have been considered criminal damage into a deliberate act capable of killing anyone inside the flat.
The Metropolitan Police launched a major murder investigation almost immediately. Officers interviewed neighbors, examined forensic evidence recovered from the building, and attempted to reconstruct the movements of those connected with Diane in the hours leading up to the attack.
Within days, detectives identified a suspect. Robert Angus, aged thirty-nine, was arrested and later charged in connection with Diane Carrington’s murder and the arson attack.
The case proceeded through the criminal justice system, but it did not end with a murder conviction; the prosecution was ultimately unable to secure Angus’ conviction for Diane Carrington’s murder.
Nearly two decades later, Diane Carrington’s death remains one of London’s most shocking fatal arson cases.
Crime Immemorial 