Husband charged with murder after his wife, 40, was killed in devastating house fire

COPS investigating the death of a woman killed in a house fire have charged her husband with murder.

Valentina Cozma, 40, died after a blaze was started in her home in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, on February 9.

Georgian Constantin, 42, of Stoke-on-Trent, was charged with Valentina’s murder on Wednesday.

He has also been charged with making threats to kill.

Constantin is due to appear before magistrates at the North Staffordshire Justice Centre on Thursday.

Police launched an urgent hunt for Constantin following the fire.

He was arrested on suspicion of murder in London on Wednesday morning.

Officers were scrambled to the burning home at around 3pm on February 9.

Sadly Valentina could not be saved with a post mortem confirming she died from inhalation of products of combustion.

In an emotional tribute, Valentina’s sister described her as a someone who “never gave up”.

She said: “Vali was the person I could talk to about anything. She offered me support whenever I needed it.

“She always tried to keep the family together. Being an older sister, she made sure we didn’t lack anything, even if she didn’t have a thing.

“She went through a lot of hard times, yet she never gave up. I am appealing for help from anyone who has details that could help in solving this case”.

Senior Investigating Officer Detective Inspector Adrian Webb, from the force’s Major and Organised Crime department, said: “We are grateful for the community’s support during this investigation.

“My thoughts remain with Valentina’s loved ones, in particular her young son, at this deeply traumatic time.”

Anyone with information can call police on 101 quoting incident 440 of 9 February.