Mother who died in firework attack suffered years of abuse, court told

A mother killed in a blaze after a firework was pushed through her letterbox had suffered years of foulmouthed abuse as she tried to protect her son when he was tormented for having acne, a court heard. Mary Fox, 59, died in the fire at Bodmin, Cornwall, after a lit rocket set her home alight, a jury at Truro crown court was told. Her 18-year-old son, Raum, managed to escape the fire on bonfire night last year. Three teenagers are accused of carrying out the fatal attack as part of a campaign of bullying against Raum. A pupil at Raum's former school, Bodmin College, told the court the boy had been tormented for six years. Timothy Mitchell, 18, said: "They pretty much bullied him throughout his whole time in school. I saw it going on in college and on the estate where I live. They would get into his face and try and provoke him to fight back, but he never would. They would push him and call him names – they tortured him really. "They used to call him 'mummy's boy' because his mother used to walk him to school to protect him. They used to give Mary abuse when she was with Raum and when she was on her own. She would be called a fat bitch and would get followed on the estate. She never reacted to it." The court heard that Raum was bullied because of his acne and clothes. Fox's neighbour Gary Holt described the moment Raum banged at his door pleading for help having jumped from a first-floor window. He said: "I saw Raum standing there, covered in soot. His face was just in shock. He spoke urgently, begging me to call 999. We then went to Raum's back garden but the fire was just ferocious. I tried to convince Raum to leave the garden, but he was just in a daze." Holt's wife, Miriam, said Raum begged his mother to jump to her safety. She said: "I could hear Mary screaming 'Help! Get me out!' – she was screaming for Raum. Raum was calling for his mum to jump. Mary was screaming for about 20 or 30 seconds, and then all went quiet." Samuel Luckes, 17, and Owen Hewitt, 18, have pleaded not guilty to unlawful killing and to a second count of arson being reckless as to whether life is endangered. Ryan Croft, 18, has admitted both charges and will be sentenced at a later date. The trial continues.