A Sierra Leonean man living in the United Kingdom has been sentenced to 29 years in prison for killing his wife and setting their home on fire in an attempt to cover up the crime and falsely accuse his teenage son.
Amidu Koroma, 48, was found guilty at the Old Bailey in London for the January 2022 murder of his wife, 46-year-old Mariam Kamara, a well-known community nurse originally from Sierra Leone. He also received a concurrent seven-year sentence for arson.
According to evidence presented in court, Koroma stabbed Ms Kamara four times while she slept in their Brixton home before using petrol to start a fire, hoping the blaze would hide the injuries. He then tried to blame his son Ishmael, who was just 17 at the time, claiming the boy was mentally unstable and had copied a scene from a Netflix series.
Jurors learned that the couple’s relationship had become increasingly tense and “toxic.” Ms Kamara had confided in friends, expressing fear that her husband might one day kill her. Koroma had also grown suspicious that she planned to leave him for a man she had formed a close friendship with in Sierra Leone.
During sentencing, Judge Rebecca Poulet KC said Koroma had planned the killing to stop his wife from travelling to Sierra Leone. She described his actions as “particularly cruel,” especially in blaming an innocent child for his own crime.
“You intended to burn her body and destroy the evidence,” the judge said. “But careful investigations and your own inconsistent stories exposed the truth.”
The court also noted the history of abusive behaviour and threatening conduct in the home, as well as the danger posed to Ishmael, who was asleep inside the house when the fire started.
Judge Poulet praised Ms Kamara as a “deeply caring and responsible mother,” dismissing Koroma’s claims about their son’s behaviour.
In a heartfelt statement, Ishmael said he continues to struggle with the loss of his mother, adding that he now finds it difficult to trust anyone after the traumatic events.
