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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Gareth Hughes

House where five family members were murdered in horror blaze up for sale

A fire-scorched house where five people were murdered in a horror arson attack is set to go up for auction.

The three-bedroom property in Prestatyn, north Wales has been described as an 'investment opportunity' by estate agents.

In October 2012 Lee-Ann Shiers, 20, her partner Liam Timbrell, 23, their 15-month-old son Charlie, Lee-Anna’s nephew Bailey Allen, 4, and her niece Skye, 2, were all killed in a fire set by Melanie Smith.

She is currently serving a life sentence behind bars for murder, reports NorthWalesLive.

The smoke-stained property has been boarded up ever since but is now set to be sold.

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Smith, who will serve at least 30 years in prison, started the fire after a row over Ms Shiers’ pushchair which was left in a shared hallway.

The court heard that Smith, who was also convicted of threatening to burn another woman’s home, had downed 10 alcoholic drinks before starting the blaze.

The semi-detached property was owned by local firefighter Jay Liptrot, who was among those who tackled the blaze.

He told the court that he had given Smith notice to leave the property a month before the fire after she had been drunkenly abusive to Ms Shiers.

The house where five people were murdered by Melanie Smith (© ANDREW PRICE/View Finder Pictures-Chester...07774 611778)

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In November, 2015, Liptrot was jailed for 15 months after pleading guilty at Caernarfon Crown Court to failing to take proper safety precautions to prevent the deaths.

The court heard that a basic fire door costing £250 would have meant it would have taken 30 minutes before the blaze swept through the upstairs flat.

Instead, there was a door made of glass and thin wood which failed to act as a barrier between the communal hallway and the stairs.

  Man killed in house fire had been stabbed in heart on night of blaze

Liptrot, 43, initially faced manslaughter charges, which he denied, and on the second day of his trial he admitted the lesser indictment.

The charred three-bedroom property is being sold by Prestatyn agents LL Estate Properties and was expected to be auctioned last night at the University of Bolton Stadium.

The guide price is £45,000.

The sale details describe it as "being in need of total refurbishment", but "an investment opportunity".

It continues: "The property is extensively fire-damaged, with loss of life in the property as a result."

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