Teen who lost father and legs in arson started by stepmother says 'I forgive her'
A brave teenager who had both legs amputated and lost her father in a fire deliberately started by her stepmother has remarkably said: 'I forgive her."
Josefina Vilela received 60 per cent burns in the arson attack by her stepmother at the family's Walsall home.
The 17-year-old wept yesterday when she met the firefighters who saved her life and revealed inspiring plans to compete in the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo.
Although she has been left disfigured by the horrific attack, for which Georgina Vilela is currently serving 23 years for murder and arson, the teenager said she held no grudge against the woman who murdered her father.
She has put the tragedy behind her to make an extraordinary recovery.
And in a moving visit to see the firefighters who saved her, she hailed them as 'my heroes' as she said an emotional thank you.
Since the attack Josefina has wanted to meet the firefighters who saved her, but her recovery had to take priority.
She spent 18 months in hospital and has had to learn to walk again using prosthetic legs. Josefina also had her left hand amputated following the horrific blaze, which happened when she was just 14.
Georgina Vilela had poured petrol over her husband and set fire to him as he lay in bed because she suspected him of being unfaithful.
Firefighters found Josefina unconscious in her blazing bedroom and carried her out. Three sisters, who were also inside, escaped, one by jumping from a first-floor window.
Josefina, then a pupil at Joseph Leckie School, has no recollection of the blaze in March 2011.
But despite the mental and physical pain she has suffered in the past three years, she revealed she had forgiven her stepmother during her surprise visit to Walsall Fire Station.
She said: "Although she took a very special person away from me, my dad, I don't want to lose a second's happiness by hating her.
"I feel sorry for her. She destroyed her own life, I've moved on with mine.
"I hold no grudge against her.
"She has claimed the life of a man who was dearest to me but I forgive her."
Josefina's sisters arranged a surprise visit to the station and yesterday her dream was realised when she came face to face with five of her rescuers.
Overwhelmed by the emotion, she wept as she said: "I've been looking for you guys for so long.
"Thank you so much for saving my life. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be here today. You're my true heroes."
The crew presented her with a bouquet of flowers and she hugged each one individually.
Afterwards she said: "Coming here has meant the world to me. For three years I've been wanting to meet them and finally I've met my heroes. They are an incredible group of people who do their jobs so well."
Josefina, who lives in Chuckery with sisters Maise, 24, and Carina, 16, said she had been able to overcome her catastrophic injuries with the support of her 'amazing' family and team of carers from Pulse Community Healthcare in Walsall who visit daily.
Despite the gap in her education, she passed five GCSEs and starts at Walsall College in September to study sport.
Josefina's ambition to compete in the Paralympics was sparked after a trip with children from the burns unit at Birmingham Children's Hospital to the London Games in 2012.
Josefina runs, swims, and throws the javelin, and as a pupil at Streetly Academy she competed at wheelchair basketball with the Wolverhampton Rhinos.
She said: "I hope to start competing soon. I've just been been tested for strength and the doctors have said I'm okay to do it.
"I won't be in time for Rio but 2020 definitely."
Josefina also wants to develop her current role as a sports ambassador for the Black Country.
"I want to inspire children and show them there is light at the end of the tunnel despite their disabilities."
Firefighter Rob Hamer, who was one of the team who brought her out of the house in Pleck Road on that foggy March night, said: "It was one of the worst house fires I've been to.
"Josefina was wrapped in a duvet when we found her, you couldn't tell how bad her burns were at the time.
"Our main priority was to get her breathing again. She's made a fantastic recovery."
Firefighter Carl Warburton added: "We never get people coming back to thank us so this has been a bit overwhelming for us too."
She poured petrol over Josefina's father Carlos and sparked the blaze in Pleck Road while four of her stepdaughters also slept inside.
The jury was told Vilela, originally from Guinea-Bissau, had bought a petrol container and filled it with about five litres of petrol, then poured some of it over her husband, or near to him, and ignited it.
They were told she found out her husband had fathered a love child.
Vilela said she had planned to take her own life, but went into the bedroom with a bowl of petrol and a flaming newspaper as she wanted to put a bit on his hand first so he could feel her pain.
She claimed the bowl slipped from her hand and sparked the blaze.
Police called Georgina Vilela 'cold and calculating' and said it was a 'horrific case'.
