by Dan Bloom

dbloom@thekmgroup.co.uk

Staring curiously at the camera, murder victim Noah Crook is a picture of innocence.

Now the 15-month-old boy's family has come forward for the first time to remember his "chubby cheeks" and "infectious giggle".

Noah died this month with his mother Melissa, 20, and grandfather Mark, 49, in a horrific fire in the family home in Chatham Hill, Chatham.

Melissa's estranged husband, car salesman Danai Muhammadi, 23, is one of three people in prison awaiting trial over their murder.

Mark's wife Amanda penned an emotional tribute to the victims this week, along with her surviving children Bohdan, Blake and Charlotte, and other close family.

They said Mark, a grandfather-of-five, was "loved by all who knew him, a gentle giant", adding: "He would do anything for anyone.

"Noah was "a little darling who loved and adored his mum", the family said, and added: "He had little chubby cheeks and the brightest of eyes which lit up with each smile. He was a contented, happy little boy with an infectious giggle."

Former Upbury Manor School pupil Melissa, whose young face touched the hearts of hundreds of mourners in Chatham, was "a beautiful girl with a beautiful heart", the family said.

"She was so kind to everyone she loved."

She was found cradling Noah in her arms after the bedroom they were sheltering in collapsed during the fierce blaze, which broke out early on September 10.

Mark, a former warehouse manager, suffered 70% burns before escaping down a ladder behind the house with his wife Amanda, 49.

Melissa's brother Bohdan, 20, broke his legs fleeing from the front of the terraced home. Amanda and Bohdan survived, but Mark died six days later in the specialist burns unit at East Grinstead Hospital.

An inquest was set to open and adjourn yesterday into the three deaths.

The family are understood to be planning a funeral with close relatives.
The fire-gutted home in Chatham Hill was abandoned by the family, with metal sheeting over the windows and floral tributes outside.

It emerged this week a 37-year-old Coventry man arrested over the deaths, who was understood to be Muhammadi's half-brother, will face no charges.

Melissa's husband, of Britannia Street, Coventry, faces three murder charges and two attempted murder charges along with associate Farhad Mahmud, 35, from Maidstone.

Muhammadi's new girlfriend, Emma Smith, 21, from Coventry, faces charges of conspiracy to murder and arson with intent to endanger life. A trial has been set for March.

Read the family's tribute in full.