SCOTT Snowden and Robert Jennings were today convicted of the horrific murders of three members of the Sharkey family in an early morning fire on the second anniversary of the blaze. As the jury returned their unanimous guilty verdicts against Scott Snowden and Robert Jennings, the sole survivor of the Sharkey family 48-year-old Anglela wept.

The jury of 10 women and five men took nine hours to reach their verdicts.

Jennings, 50, was the person who poured petrol through the letterbox of 2 Scott Court, Helensburgh and set it ablaze around 5am on July 24, 2011.

Haunting CCTV images of him going to set the fire and then walking away afterwards were played to the jury.

But he was acting on the orders of small time drug dealer 38-year-old Snowden who hated Tommy Sharkey senior.

Cowardly Snowden was out of the country on a family holiday in Mexico when the fire which killed Mr Sharkey and his 21-year-old son Thomas and eight-year-old daughter Bridget was set.

Snowden's decision to burn out fellow drug dealer Mr Sharkey, known as T-bags, led to one of the biggest murder investigations launched in Scotland.

Snowden and Jennings both denied the three murders and tried to lay the blame on members of Tommy Sharkey's family including his cousin Mark who had stabbed him four months before the fatal fire.

The jury of 10 women and five men at the High Court in Glasgow convicted Snowden and Jennings of the three murders and the attempted murder of Mrs Sharkey.

They also found them guilty of a number of charges, including a brutal slashing and an ammonia attack.

The case against Jennings included charges for setting fires at a house at The Steep, Shandon, Helensburgh, in July 2008, the Garth Inn, Helensburgh, on June 2009 and at the Mariners pub in Helensburgh in April 2010.

When the verdict was announced Snowden shook his head and there was no reaction from Jennings.

Mrs Sharkey and Richard Sharkey - her husband's son from a previous relationship - and other family members and friends shouted "Yes" as the guilty verdicts to the triple murder were read out.

Young Thomas, Bridget and their mother Angela, 48, were found slumped on the floor beside their beds by firefighters after they had tackled the ferocious blaze.

Thomas junior died at the scene and his sister in hospital later that morning. Both died from smoke inhalation.

Tommy senior died in hospital six days later having suffered 30 per cent burns to his body and inhaled hot gases.

His wife Angela who was on a life support machine survived and relatives had to tell her the heartbreaking news that her family was dead.

Mrs Sharkey said she remembered reading before going to sleep and waking up in hospital. In court she wept as she told prosecutor Alex Prentice QC: "I wish I 'd never gone to sleep."

Rescuers found Mr Sharkey who had been sleeping in the living room clinging to the ledge outside the living room window.

Thomas junior was heard shouting for his father and then there was silence.

Fire experts estimated that within minutes the heat within the Sharkey's home had soared to more than 900 degrees C.

Judge Lord Matthews will sentence Snowden and Jennings on Thursdsay.

Prosecutor Alex Prentice told the High Court in Glasgow that Mrs Sharkey had not written a victim impact statement.

Mr Prentice added: "Mere words would not be adequate to express the deep sense of loss suffered by her and her family."

Minutes earlier Mr Prentice said: "Today is the second anniversary of the fatal fire which led to the deaths of Thomas Sharkey senior, who was married to Angela for 25 years, Thomas junior was 21 and Bridget was eight."

The court heard that both accused have previous convictions.

Snowden for misuse of drugs for which he recently served 19 months. He also has been convicted of charges of violence.

Jennings has previous convictions for theft by housebreaking in 1982, assault with intent to rob in 1985, road traffic offences and drug offences.

Lord Matthews told the jurors: "As Mr Prentice has said this is the second anniversary of the fatal fire. Like today it was a lovely day.

"It's tragic that circumstances like this bring us here to court. In this case we have been dealing with a situation where three people have died. One of them was a young man who had a great future ahead of him and a girl who in other circumstances would have been at a sleep over."

Lord Matthews told the jury that they will not have to sit on a jury for the next ten years.

Detective Superintendent John McGovern, who headed the murder investigation, said: "I am delighted with the verdict, particularly for Angela Sharkey and her family who throughout the investigation displayed great dignity and never once questioned the investigation."

He added: "I would like to thank all the witnesses who assisted the investigation in very difficult circumstances."