Prestatyn fire: Melanie Smith sentenced to 30 years in prison for killing five Melanie Smith set fire to neighbours' home after long-running argument Lee-Ann Shiers and boyfriend Liam Timbrell killed alongside three children Smith to serve 30 years after being given life sentence at Mold Crown Court Judge describes arson as 'exceptional wickedness' during sentencing 'Nothing will ever be the same,' says mother of murdered children Father of victims tells of agony at not being able to see them grow up 'Justice is served and our little angels can rest in peace,' grandfather says These shocking photographs showing the interior of a home which was set on fire by a neighbour following an argument over a pram, killing five people who lived inside. Arsonist Melanie Smith was today handed a life sentence and ordered to serve at least 30 years for the murder of five members of the same family, including three young children. A judge accused Smith of 'exceptional wickedness' as he sentenced her at Mold Crown Court over the blaze which ripped through the first-floor flat in Prestatyn, North Wales, last October. Arson: This is the living room of a home in Prestatyn, north Wales which was set on fire by a neighbour Devastation: The fire set by Melanie Smith was hot enough to melt a television, as this picture shows Tragedy: A young couple, their baby son and their niece and nephew were killed in the fire last October, which left a bedroom wardrobe totally charred Bailey and Skye's father today described Smith, 43, as 'despicable' for preventing him from seeing his children grow up. And their mother revealed that she now has to lie when people ask her if she is OK, adding: 'In truth my heart is not just broken, it has been torn apart.' Photographs of the burnt-out flat released by North Wales Police show that temperatures were hot enough to melt a television and destroy kitchen appliances. Mr Justice Griffith-Williams told Smith that although it was extremely unusual for a mother-of-five with no previous convictions to commit arson, she had been motivated by jealousy because she thought her boyfriend Stephen Clarkson was having an affair with a woman she hated. 'That hatred, which was all the more intense because of your drink problem, took over your life,' the judge said. She then focussed her anger on Ms Shiers, who infuriated Smith because she repeatedly left her son's pram in the hallway of the building they shared, Mr Griffith-Williams continued. The pushchair, cigarette ends dropped by the front door, and noise coming from upstairs became 'issues which grew out of all proportion'. Wreck: Smith was today sentenced to a minimum 30 years in prison; the stairs in the house are pictured Entrance: The fire was set in a hallway in the building where the family and the killer all lived; the victims' door is shown here Heat: A photograph showing the damage to the property's kitchen following Smith's drunken rampage On the night of the fire Smith, who the judge said was 'certainly affected by alcohol', was eating a takeaway alone at home. 'My belief is that at that moment you were probably a very sad woman and it was the sound of Lee-Anna and Liam's love-making from the flat above that overwhelmed you,' he told her. Bitterly resentful of their happiness, you went outside and set fire to the pushchair. It follows that you acted on impulse and so this was not a premeditated act. My belief is you did not know Bailey and Skye were there but that reduces your culpability only marginally because you were clearly indifferent to the presence of others in the flat upstairs. The setting fire to the pushchair was an act of exceptional wickedness, almost unparalleled in its consequences. For those who had to hear the evidence of the 999 calls, the horror of those moments in the flat upstairs as Lee-Anna and Liam faced the awful inevitability of their imminent deaths will be forever etched on their memories. The judge concluded: 'You continue to portray yourself as a victim, blinding yourself to the sufferings of the real victims in this case and failing to at least acknowledge that it was your deliberate act which started the fire.' In a victim impact statement read out at court today, Skye and Bailey's mother Jonty Lewis said: 'People always ask me if I'm OK and I lie. In truth my heart is not just broken, it has been torn apart. I realise I will never hold my children's hands again, teach them to ride a bike, the normal things a parent should be allowed to do. Christmas, birthdays, nothing will ever be the same. Not only have my children been murdered but my family's future has been taken from us. Yes I have memories, and I have pictures of them, but I want them here. I want them back to make new memories and take new pictures, to kiss Bailey's cheeks and paint Skye's pretty little nails.' Poignant: This picture frame in the living room which appears to contain the word 'Baby' was melted Disaster: The fire destroyed most of the building, with the furniture in the living room wrecked Fury: The arson attack, leaving the stairs looking like a bomb site, stemmed from a disagreement over a pram Ruin: The kitchen was almost unrecognisable despite its fire prevention measures Lee-Anna's mother, Joy Shiers, who is the grandmother of all the children who died, said in her impact statement: 'On that night we had to stand on the street and watch my daughter's flat burn, knowing that our loved ones were trapped inside. As the night continued we saw our family being brought out by firefighters one by one and our hearts just sank. We followed the ambulance to the hospital where my daughter never made it alive. We waited for news of Bailey and Skye and when we were told they had passed away, our hearts sank further. We stood with Charlie as they turned his life machine off and I told him I did not blame him for wanting to go with his mummy. Mrs Shiers said her family was haunted by sleepless nights, adding: 'We go through each day yearning to see them, their smiles, hear their laughter and having them around. All we have left of them are the memories. They will be truly missed and loved for ever. Killer: Smith arriving at Mold Crown Court today for her sentencing hearing over the murders Weeping: Stephanie Watson, mother of victim Liam Trimbell, breaks down at a press conference After the hearing, Bailey and Skye's father Steve Allen said: 'Nothing will ever bring any of our family back to us, but Melanie Smith will now be given what she deserves. Today is the next step towards grieving for our family. It still doesn't feel real. Every day that goes by we wish that things had turned out differently on October 19 2012 so my babies and my nephew Charlie would still be here, happy, playing and growing. We wish we could hear them laughing, we think of them every day. Peter Shiers, the children's grandfather, added: 'Justice is now served and all our little angels can rest in peace.' Stephanie Watson, Mr Timbrell's mother, fought back tears as she added: 'This has been a long and painful road for all the family and one that can never bring back any of our children or grandchildren. In this terrible tragedy there is some comfort knowing that justice has been done, although no sentence can truly reflect the severity of the crime. Jobless Smith was last week convicted by a 10-2 majority of five counts of murder, making her one of the most prolific female murderers in modern British history. Her ex-husband, Paul Smith, said at the time that she "deserves to rot in hell." The jury was told that as the fire took hold, Mr Timbrell was heard in the background of a 999 call screaming: "Oh my God, oh my God, we're going to die." Despite being badly burned, the victim managed to tell police that he heard Smith shouting through the letterbox: "I'm going to burn your house down." Karen Dixon from the Crown Prosecution Service today said that Smith started the fire 'knowing that a family with children lived in the flat upstairs and with no regard for the consequences'. She added: 'At no stage has she has chosen to take any responsibility for the five lives tragically lost as a result of her actions. Today's sentencing has at least ensured that she has had to face up to that responsibility in a criminal court.' Horror: The exterior of the house in Prestatyn which was burnt by Smith in October last year Smith had a history of cruelty to her own children. She stubbed cigarettes out on her baby son's forehead, hacked off her toddler daughter's blonde hair, scalded her with boiling water and locked her in a cupboard as punishment. He said: 'The sentence is totally deserved and none of us ever want to see her again. It's horrific.