Arsonist killed his heavily pregnant neighbour and her unborn baby ‘after she complained about smells from his flat’
Lillo Troisi, 48, sent to secure hospital indefinitely for killing mum-to-be Khabi Abrey, 30, by lighting a fire on the ninth floor of a tower block
A DISTURBED arsonist who killed his heavily pregnant neighbour and her unborn child after she complained about smells from his flat has been sent to a psychiatric hospital indefinitely.
Mum-to-be Khabi Abrey, 30, was found collapsed near her front door after suffocating on fumes from the hallway petrol blaze lit by Lillo Troisi on the ninth floor of a tower block.
Khabi died in hospital two days later. Her unborn child died from a cardiac arrest caused by the mum's inhalation of fumes.
Fourteen other residents including an eight-week-old baby were rescued from the ninth floor of the council block in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, last May.
Khabi's husband Stuart — also known as Judah — had gone out to a pub reggae night but his Nigerian-born wife stayed in.
Prosecutor Michael Goodwin said: "Miss Abrey made what turned out to be a fatal decision because she decided to stay at home because she was feeling heavy and tired as and result of her pregnancy.
"The child was due to be born on the 20 June so she was in a well advanced stage of her pregnancy.";
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Blackfriars crown court heard Troisi, 48, went to fetch cans of petrol from a Sainsbury's filling station before deliberately setting fire to a doormat outside Khabi's home.
At 10.55pm a neighbour heard her shouting "I need help" as dark smoke engulfed the flats.
She was still breathing when a firefighter got to her but she never regained consciousness.
Jobless Troisi, who has a previous conviction for arson from 1983, was arrested three days after the fire.
Two psychologists concluded the paranoid schizophrenic was "acutely psychotic" at the time and had not been taking his medication for 18 months.
Christine Agnew QC, defending, said: "He wanted to make the couple move and because of his mental state at the time he simply didn't foresee the consequences of his terrible actions."
The Abreys had never met Troisi but complained to the council about the "noise and smells emanating from the defendant's flat" on the floor below, the court heard.
Stuart sat in court as his wife's killer was sentenced today after he admitted manslaughter and arson.
The widower said in a statement: "I literally feel gutted and lost and sick and drained.
";My whole future and my life has been taken away from me.
"I cry every day for my queen and princess."
The court heard the couple had both worked as carers helping convicts struggling with mental health conditions and drug addictions.
Stuart said he feels his career over, adding: "I don't think I could give my usual standard of care to all regardless of their criminal history any more."
And he slammed South Essex Homes after they "ignored the issues I raised about the defendant for over a year".
Troisi was detained under section 37 of the Mental health Act twinned with a section 47 restriction order, meaning he will be held indefinitely.
Mrs Justice McGowan told him: "Whilst it may not be entirely your fault you are nonetheless currently and for the foreseeable future a danger to the public and the public must be protected."
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