A 23-year-old man has been charged with the murders of seven-year-old Valentina Foster and her aunt, Natalie McDonald, after a house fire in Middlesbrough.
The blaze broke out at a property on Birchington Avenue, Grangetown, at about 5.23am on Wednesday 26 August. Valentina and 34-year-old Ms McDonald died, while four other people were injured.
Cleveland Police said Jaden Wright had also been charged with two counts of grievous bodily harm with intent under Section 18 and two counts of attempted Section 18 grievous bodily harm with intent.
He was due to appear at Teesside Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday. A 31-year-old man arrested in connection with the investigation was released without charge on Sunday.
The charges follow a week of tributes for Valentina, whose family and local residents released dozens of pink and purple balloons in South Bank on Monday evening.
Pink smoke was sent into the air as mourners gathered to remember the girl. A family member had urged people to attend and help give Valentina “the best send off she deserves”, saying lilac and pink were her favourite colours.
A 48-year-old woman remains in a critical but stable condition at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, while a 27-year-old man is being treated at James Cook University Hospital.
Two teenage girls who suffered non-life-threatening injuries have since been discharged.
Katie Nicolson, chief crown prosecutor for CPS North East, said prosecutors had worked closely with Cleveland Police to establish that there was sufficient evidence to bring the case to court.
She said proceedings were active and reminded people that the defendant had the right to a fair trial.
“It is vital that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information which could in any way prejudice these proceedings,” she said.
Senior investigating officer Katie Smith, from Northumbria Police, described the incident as “truly tragic” and thanked local residents for their support and patience during the investigation.
Detectives have said the fatal fire is not linked to the A66 collision near Middlesbrough which killed seven people, including police constables Matthew Blades and Tom Clough.
