Black Country murderer wrote letter of innocence from cell
An arsonist who murdered an innocent pensioner in a ferocious blaze wrote to his ex-girlfriend's family from prison claiming he was innocent, it can be revealed today.
Aiden Elmore penned the note to Lauren Welling's mother while he awaiting trial for killing defenceless Victor Moore.
But yesterday he was jailed for a life and ordered to serve a minimum of 21 years after a jury found him guilty of murder and two counts of arson with intent to endanger life.
The trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court heard that the father of one started the fires after splitting up with Miss Wellings.
Elmore set up a barricade of nine wheelie bins at the back exit of the block of flats where Mr Moore lived in Southey Close, Short Heath, and set fire to them.
Dozens of people had to jump for their lives from windows on October 8, last year, but 68-year-old Mr Moore died after becoming trapped in a communal hallway.
Elmore, who had been drinking and taking drugs, then started garden fires in Crab Lane en route to the Wychbold Way home of her mother Sarah Bryce in nearby New Invention, where he set fire to wheelie bins placed next to patio windows.
Miss Bryce, speaking after Elmore was jailed, told the Express & Star the family had initially believed he was innocent until detectives showed them footage of him outside their home carrying his burning jacket that was used as a taper to set alight their wheelie bin.
She revealed: "My family has stood by Aiden all year until we saw the CCTV. He wrote to me from prison and said he lit the bin to burn the coat, not to hurt us. But it was all lies. I told him that the truth will come out and that if he was found guilty he would have to face the consequences of his actions."
Miss Bryce, aged 37, had been asleep at the property with Lauren, and her three other daughters Jamieleigh, aged 20, Ellisse, aged 14, and Charley, aged 16. Lauren's and Elmore's baby son was staying with his other grandparents.
She also said the family had recently received death threats via a social network site.
Miss Bryce said: "He wasn't going out with Lauren at the time of the fires. They had split up a month before. I just don't want people to blame my daughter for what happened to Mr Moore. Only Aiden knows the answer to that.
"He had been staying at my house and I regret that now, but they weren't a couple anymore. They were arguing constantly because he was putting drink and drug taking and his mates before her and the baby.
"She's just a kid herself and impressionable. They got back together when he was on remand then split up again.
"Aiden has come between me and Lauren. It hasn't sunk in for her as yet. We are really sorry for what happened to Mr Moore."
Elmore was also sentenced to a total of 19 years in jail for two counts of arson with intent to endanger life, relating to the Southey Close block, and the fire at Wychbold Way, to run concurrently with his sentence for murder.
Jailing him, Judge John Warner told him: "From the circumstances of these offences, you are in my opinion a dangerous man."
He added: "The jury decided that you decided that someone in some way should be hurt.
"What your motive was remains a mystery to me.
"There is no reason why the flats should have been set on fire. Only you know what your intention was.
"It would appear that it was purely a matter of chance that Mr Moore was the only person to lose his life."
