In February 2018, in the quiet town of Derrylin, Northern Ireland, a fire tore through a remote bungalow. Inside were the bodies of four family members — Denise Gossett, 45, her children Sabrina, 19, and Roman, 16, and Sabrina’s baby daughter, 15-month-old Morgana. The only survivor was Denise’s partner, 33-year-old Daniel Allen — the man responsible for their murders.
Allen was a violent, coercive, and controlling man who forced the family to live under different names, isolated them from the outside world, and moved them from place to place to maintain his grip on them. His campaign of terror ended in a deliberate act of unspeakable violence. Today, Allen is serving a 29-year life sentence — one of the longest ever handed down in Northern Ireland — for the brutal, calculated murder of an entire family.
This is the story of the Gossett Family.
Information and support
· Samaritans UK Contact Us | Samaritans
· Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse (AAFDA) Home - AAFDA
· Women’s Aid Home - Women's Aid
· National Domestic Abuse Helpline UK 0808 2000 247
· Mental health support USA Mental Health America | Homepage | Mental Health America
· Domestic abuse helpline USA 1.800.799.SAFE Domestic Violence Support | National Domestic Violence Hotline
References
Derrylin fire: 'Strange' story of Daniel Allen who killed family - BBC News
Man jailed for 29 years over house fire that killed three generations of same family
Man who killed three generations of family has ‘disturbing part of make-up’ | The Standard
PPS statement following sentencing of Daniel Allen | Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland
Derrylin: Children's murders 'could not have been anticipated' - BBC News
Court judgement The King v Daniel Sebastian Allen.pdf
Credits
Hosted and created by Clare Laxton @ladylaxton
Produced by: Clare Laxton
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