THE two murderers responsible for the fire in which a father and his two children died have been jailed for a total of 62 years.
Judge Lord Matthews sentenced 38-year-old Scott Snowden to 33 years in prison for the murder of Thomas Sharkey senior, his son Thomas junior, 21, and eight-year-old Bridget at their home at Scott Court, Helensburgh, on July 24, 2011. Angela Sharkey, 48, survived the blaze.
Robert Jennings, 50, the man who set the fire by pouring petrol through the letterbox on the instructions of Snowden, was told he would spent a minimum of 29 years in prison.
Both men will serve life sentences and will be unable to apply for parole until they have served 33 years and 29 years respectively.
Snowden now shares the dubious distinction of currently serving the longest sentence handed down in a Scottish court, along with Colin Coats who murdered financial adviser Lynda Spence.
Lord Matthews told Snowden and Jennings as they stood in the dock at the High Court in Glasgow: "You have been convicted of what is without doubt the most appalling crime I have ever been involved with in my professional career, the murder by fire of three-quarters of a family.
"One of them, Thomas Sharkey senior, who suffered a long and painful death, had been able to live to middle age, but his son Thomas and daughter Bridget were cruelly deprived of any chance in life.
"Thomas, a promising golfer, who had gone abroad to study and to try to fulfill his potential. Who knows what Bridget would have made of herself. She was a typical smiling innocent young girl with all her life before her.
"Had things gone as intended she would not have been in the house on that fateful morning, but she wanted to be with her family and tragically she succumbed to the smoke and gases as did her father and brother, despite the best efforts of the firefighters, who, at great risk to themselves, fought to bring them out of the building.
"Angela Sharkey, who doubtless only survived because of those self-same firefighters, now has to face the anguish of going through the rest of her life deprived of the love and companionship of her husband and children and left to wonder what might have been."
The judge told Snowden and Jennings that the fatal fire "marked the culmination of a campaign characterised by violence, revenge, intimidation and cowardice".
Lord Matthews added to Snowden: "The evidence which the jury must have accepted showed plainly that you Mr Snowden, in the face of any slight or insult or setback, would exact terrible retribution, at times swift and at other times when the opportunity presented itself.
"These attacks had the potential to cause devastation and loss of life. These crimes are cowardly enough in themselves, but it is also a common feature of them that you cynically recruited others to do your dirty work, making sure that you had a cast-iron alibi.
"It may be you thought you would be safe from prosecution. If that is what you thought, the fatal fire put an end to such aspirations."
Snowden, who is married with a three-year-old daughter, and has a 14-year-old son from a previous relationship, shook his head as he was led away to begin his sentence.
The judge said that Jennings had no discernible motive. Jennings who has three young children, showed no emotion as he was led to the cells.
John Dunn, procurator fiscal, said: "Snowden and Jennings's campaign of vengeance and violence culminated with the unspeakably callous and cowardly murders of three of the Sharkey family.
"Angela Sharkey almost died in the fire which killed her husband, her son and her eight-year-old daughter.
"Their conviction and sentence today now brings them to justice. We hope that their victims, and the wider community in Helensburgh, can start to rebuild their lives."
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