THE FAMILY of Trowbridge-born Christopher Bonnick have said he had ‘too much to live for’, after a man was sentenced to 26 years imprisonment for killing him by setting fire to his Nottingham home.

The 55-year-old property developer, who was raised in the Studley Green area of Trowbridge by his mother along with eight siblings, was pulled by firefighters from a burning house in Derby Grove, Nottingham, in March.

His family in Trowbridge were contacted by relatives and rushed to his bedside at the Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham, but Mr Bonnick later died of his injuries.

Sekou Soumare, 56, of Derby Grove, Nottingham, was sentenced to 26 years in prison at Nottingham Crown Court on November 12, where he pleaded guilty to murder.

The court heard that on March 22, Soumare had used petrol to set fire to the converted flats that both he and Mr Bonnick lived in.

He phoned emergency services himself at about 12.42pm telling the operator: “I’ve burnt it… the house is on fire now.”

While tenants of the property gathered outside, fire crews worked to extinguish the blaze and discovered Mr Bonnick, who was still breathing, inside.

Soumare had told them that there was nobody inside.

Soumare was arrested after confessing to officers at the scene: “I am the guilty party, I set him and my house on fire.”

Mr Bonnick had only recently returned from a six-month trip to Africa, where he had helped people to build homes and encouraged them to follow their talents.

Mr Bonnick, a former pupil of Nelson Haden School in Trowbridge, now Clarendon, was a father-of-four, with three daughters and a son, and had four grandchildren.

His daughter, Clara Bonnick, said: “My dad was full of pure goodness, full of a spiritual and loving aura with a warm heart.

“I just hope he realises how much he is missed and how much we love him.

“My dad was not ready to die, he had too much to live for. He didn’t deserve this, it wasn’t his time to go.”

Detective Chief Inspector Leigh Sanders, who led the investigation, said: “This is one of the most barbaric murders I have ever investigated.

“Mr Bonnick died a prolonged and painful death.

“Not only did Soumare rob a family of their father and grandfather, he endangered the lives of other residents living in the flats and destroyed his own home in the process.

“I’d like to thank all those who worked on this investigation.

"For Mr Bonnick’s family, I hope this sentence and seeing justice served gives them comfort as they continue to deal with their loss.”