Lalor Park tragedy: Dean Heasman’s family breaks their silence after he was accused of killing his three kids in western Sydney house fire
EXCLUSIVE
A dying grandmother from Western Sydney has told of her shock when she heard her grandson had been accused of killing his three children in a horrific house fire.
Dean Heasman, 28, is alleged to have barricaded his partner Stacey Gammage, 29, and their seven children inside their housing commission home in Lalor Park, in Sydney’s west, before setting fire to the house at around 1am on Sunday.
Two boys, aged three and six, were taken to Westmead Hospital in a critical condition but died from their injuries.
After firefighters extinguished the flames, they also found the body of a 10-month-old girl. Her body was removed from the site during forensic investigation on Sunday afternoon.
The family’s 82-year-old matriarch, Neryle Heasman, told Daily Mail Australia she knew her grandson Dean as “a lovely kid” but had become estranged from him in recent years.
“I haven’t had much to do with him since his father, my son, who is also named Dean, passed away,” she said.
“The few times I saw him, I remembered that he was a nice kid.”
Dying grandmother Neryle Heasman has told of her shock when she discovered her grandson has been accused of killing his three children in a horrific house fire.
Dean Heasman, 28, and Stacey Gammage, 29, are pictured together. Three of their seven died in the fire
Mrs Heasman, who is receiving palliative care at home for terminal lung cancer and has just six months to live, said she has not yet met her great-grandchildren.
“I keep up with his family through photos on Facebook,” she said.
But she was stunned to discover he was at the centre of the police investigation into the deadly fire.
“Are you sure we’re talking about the same Dean?” she asked Daily Mail Australia, adding: “He’s an albino.”
Four other children, including a nine-year-old girl and three boys aged 11 and seven, who were trapped in the house, were treated at the scene and taken to Westmead Hospital in a stable condition in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Their mother Stacey Gammage, 29, was treated for smoke inhalation, while her de facto partner Dean Heasman, 28, was arrested and taken to hospital under police guard.
Heasman is said to have thrown a burning pillow at his partner, which was partly responsible for starting the fire, the Daily Telegraph reported.
Investigators are also looking into whether Heasman used an accelerant after a second explosion engulfed the home just after he threw the fully burning pillow at his partner.
The father of seven reportedly has no significant criminal history, but in 2017 he did have a run-in with the Australian Taxation Office.
He was only 21 at the time, but pleaded guilty to making a false statement and was convicted. However, he avoided jail and was instead given an 18-month bail by the New South Wales District Court to prove his good behaviour. He was also ordered to pay $2,809 restitution to the ATO.
On Monday, friends and community members arrived at the scene, many leaving flowers, stuffed animals and candles.
Western Sydney grandmother Neryle Heasman, 82, receives palliative care at home for lung cancer
Neighbors and family friends laid flowers for the three children who died on Sunday
The housing commission building in Lalor Park was quickly engulfed in flames in the early hours of Sunday morning
Among the evidence taken from the house were two water bottles containing a tea-like liquid
On Sunday, detectives searched the home for clues about how the fire started and whether accelerants were used.
Among the evidence taken from the house were two water bottles containing a tea-colored liquid.
According to police, Heasman held the front door closed when emergency responders arrived and shouted, “Let me die here,” as the children inside screamed for help.
Heasman reportedly suffered burns to his skin and throat, and smoke inhalation during the tragedy. He is now in a medically induced coma as investigators wait to question him.
Neighbours told Daily Mail Australia that all three front rooms of the house were quickly engulfed in flames, before electrical cables sparked and the house demolished.
Local resident Jarrod Hawkins, whose daughter was friends with one of the surviving children, was hailed a hero after he rushed to the burning house and rescued a nine-year-old girl and her three brothers, aged four, seven and 11.
The oldest boy told his rescuers, “Daddy tried to kill me.”
After Mr Hawkins left the burning house with four children, they were placed on the other side of the road until another neighbour, Damien Dubois, decided to move them away from the scene.
Emergency services, including at least 20 firefighters and six fire engines, rushed to Freeman Street after reports of a house on fire
Dean Heasman, 28, was arrested at the scene and taken to hospital under police guard
“I had four children and they were cold so we picked them up and took them into the back room of my house,” Mr Dubois told Daily Mail Australia.
‘I tried to comfort them. The two youngest children didn’t say anything, so I picked them up and took them away from all this trauma.
“They didn’t have to see it all.”
Mr. Dubois recalls that a few weeks ago, Heasman took some children on a quad bike tour through the neighborhood.