Man who poured petrol on ex-partner and set her on fire in her bedroom convicted of murder

A 45-year-old man has been convicted of murder after pouring petrol on his estranged wife and setting her on fire in her bedroom.

Damien Simmons had carried out covert surveillance on Denise Keane-Simmons, 36, before he set her on fire at her home in Brent, northwest London on 16 April 2020.

He had previously tried to prevent her from seeing friends, and she had found a camera in a lightbulb in her bedroom, planted by the defendant to spy on her.

On the night of the killing, Simmons was captured on CCTV buying five and a half litres of petrol from a nearby station and later pouring petrol through her letterbox and smashing a window to get inside.

Just hours before, Simmons posted an intimate picture of the teaching assistant on social media and he sent her a WhatsApp voice message, which said: “I hope you suffer and die just like how I suffer and die before I go. I really hope you suffer and die.”

The defendant denied murder, claiming he had not intended to harm Mrs Keane-Simmons but she died accidentally when he was trying to kill himself in front of her.

But Simmons was convicted at the Old Bailey on Tuesday of murder and arson with intent to endanger life, according to the Metropolitan Police.

After the verdict, Detective Chief Inspector Neil John said: “My thoughts remain with Denise’s family and friends and I hope today’s outcome can offer them some degree of comfort, knowing that her killer has been brought to justice.

“The actions of Damion Simmons that night were calculated, and the jury has come to the conclusion that he set out that night not to kill himself, as he claimed, but to kill Denise.

“His actions were both selfish and reckless. He cruelly took away Denise’s future and could have easily caused serious harm to the other woman inside the property and adjoining households.”

The court was told the pair met in Trinidad where they were married in 2019 before Simmons moved to the UK to live with his wife but their relationship became strained because he wanted Mrs Keane-Simmons to change her behaviour and stop seeing friends.

On 15 April, Simmons posted an intimate picture of Mrs Keane-Simmons on Instagram, along with her maiden name, job and the school she worked at.

He also emailed her saying he had put images of her on a porn website.

Police attended her home after she reported the threatening messages and in a statement, she said: “I feel anxious about leaving my house as his behaviour is so unpredictable and just want to live my life without that worry of Damien.”

Officer left 40 minutes before the house was set on fire.

After the blaze, police found two images taken on a hidden camera when the defendant’s phone was examined and they also found an email exchange where he had reviewed the device, writing “faulty, works okay, runs out of charge quickly”.

Simmons said he hoped the camera would help him save the relationship and that he bought it “to see who she was talking to, you know? So that I could try and salvage my marriage because I knew a lot of people are talking to her”.

After setting light to the house he escaped out of a window and was found unresponsive in the garden by emergency services, before being taken to hospital where he was later arrested.

Mrs Keane-Simmons was found on her bedroom floor with extensive burns and smoke inhalation and was pronounced dead in hospital.

A consultant plastic surgeon specialising in burn injuries found the pattern of burns on her body suggested petrol had been poured over her head and upper body and set alight.

Simmons will be sentenced at the Old Bailey on 22 September.

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