Mum whose sons were killed by their dad shares heartbreak in new book about tragedy
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“Did he break me? Yes, he did. Did he take everything away? Not quite.”
Claire Throssell, whose two sons were tragically killed by their father, shares the heartbreaking story in a new autobiography.
Claire horrifically lost her sons 11 years ago in a fire started by her ex-husband, Darren Sykes.
An inquest ruled that Jack, aged 12 and Paul, 9, were unlawfully killed by their father when he started a fire during a contact visit with his sons, despite their mum having previous raised concerns about their safety.
Claire had warned the family court that her ex-husband was dangerous, however he was still allowed to spend time with his sons at his home in Penistone, Barnsley, as part of contact arrangemements.
He lured his sons to the attic in his home with the promise of a new train set, then barricaded the children inside and started a blaze which ultimately claimed his children’s lives and his own.
Claire has dedicated her life to remembering the lives of her sons and preventing further deaths related to domestic abuse.
The domestic abuse survivor is an ambassador for Women’s Aid, and a driving force behind the Child first campaign, lobbying parliament to abolish the ‘presumption of contact’ guidelines in child custody cases, which assumes children benefit from contact with both parents.
Claire said: “I had to make their deaths count for something. They didn’t die in vain.”
She was inspired by the bravery of her eldest son, Jack survived for five days after the fire and tried tirelessly to recount what had happened, and what their father had done to them.
She said: “The courage that my boy had, I have to channel into everything that I do. I take strength from the love they left behind.”
Announcing the release of her new book, For My Boys, Claire has captured her whole life leading up to the tragedy of losing her sons, the grief that followed, and a decade worth of campaigning.
She said: “This book is how a mum’s love can lead to achieving incredible things.”
The book features a foreword from fellow Women’s Aid ambassador Mel B, and was written with Michelle Rawlins, a journalist, writer and lecturer at The University of Sheffield.
Claire hopes that For My Boys can help others who find familiarity in her story, giving comfort to those experiencing abusive circumstances, and those who have lost their children.
Having faced 16 years of an abusive marriage, she said: “Abuse doesn’t just stay with the abuser, it stays with us. And there’s always that part of me that has his voice in my head.”
Claire is committed to protecting children from domestic violence and acknowledging those lost through unsafe contact arrangements.
She emphasised: “No child is ever a statistic.”
“What I want to see is, no more politicians paying tribute to my campaigning. Pay tribute to me by making sure that the system is fair and it’s not the barbaric and humiliating process that I went through in family court.”
Pre-order For My Boys: https://www.amazon.co.uk/My-Boys-Claire-Throssell/dp/1917439326/
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