Funeral for mother left with horrific burns in arson attack that killed four of her children

A mother who suffered horrific burns in an arson attack that killed four of her children has been reunited with her "babies in the sky", her funeral service heard.

Michelle Pearson never left hospital after suffering 75% burns in the murderous attack in December 2017 and died 20 months later on August 25.

The 37-year-old’s children Demi Pearson, 15, her brother, Brandon, eight, and sisters, Lacie, seven and Lia, three all perished in the blaze at the home in Walkden, Greater Manchester after it was firebombed.

Mrs Pearson was too unwell to attend her children's funeral in September last year and on Friday her own funeral took place at the same church.

Mourners lined the route to St Paul’s in Walkden as four horse-drawn carriages, representing each of her deceased children, headed the procession to the church.

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The mother-of-six's white coffin, adorned with paintings of red poppies, was carried into the church to Amazing Grace played by a pipe band by pall bearers including her eldest son Lewis and brother Chris Pearson.

Michelle’s other surviving son Kyle and mother Sandra Lever were also among the mourners who paid their last respects.

Mrs Pearson’s family previously told how the trauma, strong medication, and her injuries meant she kept forgetting her children were dead and would ask relatives to bring them to the burns unit at Wythenshawe Hospital to visit her.

Three people were convicted over the blaze, the result of a “petty feud” – Zak Bolland and David Worrall were each convicted of four counts of murder and jailed for life, with minimum terms of 40 and 37 years respectively, while Bolland’s ex-girlfriend, Courtney Brierley, was jailed for 21 years for manslaughter.