Mother admits to causing death of her 23-month-old twins as devastated father watches on in court
A mother has admitted to causing the death of her twin son and daughter over Christmas, but has denied murdering them. Steven Ford watched his wife Samantha Ford, 38, admit to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility after the deaths of their 23-month-old twins, Jake and Chloe Ford, according to a Daily Mail report.
At 2.50 am on December 27, Samantha was pulled from the wreckage of a crash on a dual carriageway by emergency services after she rammed her Ford Galaxy into the back of a lorry on the A299 near Whitstable. Despite her car bonnet being completely destroyed, she managed to escape with minor injuries.
We had previously reported that officers then drove Samantha 15 miles back to her Margate home over concerns for the welfare of her family, only to find her two children dead at the residence.
While Jake and Chloe were found dead at their mother's Margate residence at 3.35 am on December 27, pathologists believe they died the day before considering the degradation of their bodies.
In court, Samantha was draped in a black suit and white shirt as she stood silent after confirming her identity and entering her pleas. While she denied two counts of murder, she pleaded guilty to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility. As prosecutors deliberated on whether her pleas are acceptable, Samantha will be remanded in custody until her next court appearance scheduled on June 10. If her pleas are not accepted, a provisional trial date has been set for June 24.
The Crown Prosecution Service had recently received a psychiatric report on the mother, Prosecutor Edward Brown QC told the court. "We the prosecution are meeting tomorrow to discuss the contents and the background of this case," he said. "Certain steps have to be taken and ultimately we are using for the decision to be communicated to my learned friend's instructing solicitors and to the court of course by Wednesday, the 5th of June."
Samantha moved into the rented house in Margate, Kent, after purchasing a home in nearby Ashford with husband Steven a year back. According to neighbors, Samantha had only recently moved into the £215,000 ($272,340) property, which she rented through a local letting agent.
Steven, the devastated father, recently raised more than £3,800 ($4,815) after taking part in an Ultra White Collar boxing contest in Gillingham. "My children were everything to me. They were my world," he wrote on the fundraising website. "I've decided to take part in this fundraising event to show that it is possible to live life after death. I made a promise to Jake and Chloe that I'll be the best man that I can be. It starts today. Jake and Chloe forever xx."
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