Jean Francis Say, 62, murdered his eight-year-old daughter Regina and son Rolls, 10, (pictured above) to 'spite' his estranged wife Adjoua, 44, after he was told he was to be evicted from their three-bedroom flat.
Adjoua, who is known as Antoinette, had moved out with the children six months previously and Say was no longer entitled to the flat they once shared in Southwark, south east London.
Today at the Old Bailey Say, originally from the Ivory Coast, pleaded guilty to the double murders through an interpreter. He is due to be sentenced on Monday afternoon.
The children, who he had custody of at the time, were playing computer games before Say knifed them sometime between Saturday, February 12 and the early hours of the following day.
He then phoned Adjoua accusing her of 'defaming him on Facebook' saying 'I have killed your children. I have killed your children. I have called the police and am waiting for them.'
He called 999 and then redialled her number and told her: 'Come and get the bodies.'
Officers found the retired concierge and part-time football steward sitting beside the bodies of his children, who had been dead for several hours.
On being led out of the flat Say pointed to some documents and said: 'This paper is evidence of why I did it.' The papers related to his eviction.
Prosecutor Ed Brown QC in his opening notes not read to the court said: 'In the early morning of Sunday, February 13, this defendant killed his own children.
'He took their lives as they lay where they slept. They were quite defenceless.
'It is likely that each of the children tried to fend off the attack upon them by their father before they were each quickly overwhelmed and killed by him.
'The dreadful fact is that the defendant took a knife and cut the throat of each child as they lay where they had been sleeping.
The evidence suggests that the defendant carried out the killing to spite his estranged wife, the mother of his children.'
He said the children had been killed some time before he made the calls to Adjoua, and Rolls had suffered forceful blows to the head while he was still alive in addition to knife wounds to his neck.
Mr Brown said these were enough to cause injuries to his brain.
He added: 'There are in addition what are known as defence wounds that show that Rolls and separately Regina most likely had struggled against the knife during the defendant’s attack upon them.'
Mr Brown said the killings were a culmination of longstanding marital difficulties born from the violent, jealous and possessive behaviour of the defendant and from the consequences that the departure of his wife and children from the home was likely to have on his own situation.
In addition, the prosecutor said there was a history of domestic violence and Adjoua had moved out some time before eviction proceedings were started.
However, there had not been any child safety concerns, he added.
Neighbours claimed officers had been called to the flat on at least one previous occasion after reports of a violent row between ‘controlling’ Say and his wife.
The couple, both from West Africa, married in February 1998 in Southwark. But his wife moved to Holloway in North London with the children six months ago after their marriage failed.
Linda please what is this story about a Girl who has just been murdered at Lekki by her boyfriend. Very pretty Girl. The photos are circulating on facebook. Please find out the details
ReplyDeletewow may God help us dis man needs to die by hanging jesus.
ReplyDeletewow may God help us dis man needs to die by hanging jesus.
ReplyDeleteJust another day on earth, another proof that this world is a closing chapter in the book of time. Nothing new. Can't wait for it to all end.
ReplyDeletena wa o!!..poor kids..this Africans sef!!..once them reach Europe them just dey change anyhow..see this one just kill him kids..imagine that in Africa??
ReplyDeleteHang him!!!! Fry him!!! Lethally Inject him!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat evil!
Jesus, was he is his right senses? such innocent souls!!
ReplyDeleteoh my.....what is this world turning into! the man obviously had been hitting the wife b4 she left!!!Good thing she left but why did she leave her children tho???u cannot just under-estimate these type of pple! they r fucked in the head...those innocent lil things...ahhhh,may God punish the useless man!
ReplyDelete@Anon 9.32pm, i saw the pics too. gruesome, God save us o!!
ReplyDelete@Sra8 abi wetin be ur name, many pple that killed their spouses and odas were abroad o, they were in their countries!!
I should be shocked especially because they are Africans and the man is 62 years old but I have watched enough real crime documentaries to be desensitized to these things. I was just watching a story last week friday, a woman killed her FOUR children to get even with their fathers who left her. She shot them one by one starting with the oldest to the youngest in the order of their birth then shot herself in the stomach to make it look like an accident which no one believed. Because if she could shoot her children in the head, why would she shoot herself in the stomach?
ReplyDeleteThis world is coming to a slow, grinding end. The things that we are doing to each other, only God can help us.
this is too sad
ReplyDelete@Anon 9:11 PM
ReplyDeletena u sabi...did u read thru the entire article??..Ivorians..he killed the kids in Souhwark(UK)..and this is such an oyinbo thing to do..
Sick people are everywhere. Whether Africans or no Africans, we all live in a sick world. A very good friend of mine lost her mother about three years ago. She has never told me the full story but she recently revealed to me that it was her father who killed her mother and he's behind bars now. Both nigerians who lived here in the States. So, how do you explain that? It's sickening.
ReplyDeleteAt the same time, America keeps digging more hole for themselves. They want freedom right, freedom to purchase gun, freedom to do whatever the hell you want, and they are not connecting it that the more freedom you give a group of people they more problems they cause because we are already selfish by nature.
dis world is coming to a slow grinding end please repent peeps!! things re getting worse"!
ReplyDeletejst cried my way tru readin dis!! how can a man use his own hands to kill his defenceless children?!! wht cme upon him? Oh Lord av mercy! there's a reason y God is not man cz if he were dis bastard would av died a painful death! Oh Lord!!!
ReplyDeleteaww poor little children. men r becoming sth else, so human beings are now as cheap as chicken? God pls protect women and children. i dey fear oo, Everyday i thank God that i am single oo and i dont have stalkers :) with the way women r been killed, only God can save us.
ReplyDeleteDis man's simply a coward. Y didn't he attack d man who took his wife rather than d innocent little kids? OMG! Some of dis stories... Gush!
ReplyDeleteWhy the vent of frustration on this poor defenceless kids? The deaths sentence of this animal should not be delayed.
ReplyDeletesigns of the last days indeed
ReplyDeleteWOW. smh. total horror story, smh. and the other stories mentioned in the comments are as horrific as this one. geez we all need prayers.
ReplyDeleteOh,this is cruel, satan has entered into the man, and he lost control of his thought and temper.Pls lets always leave everything to GOD,even though is obvious that we are cheated. The bible says he who control his temper is a wise man,also let always learn to keep our bible by our side always.Ha satan,u av no rought of escape, GOD must bring judgement to u on all these in JESUS name.JESUS help the world pleaseeeeeeeeee
ReplyDeleteI dnot care if things r not working out d way u want them to u dnot kill ur children i dnot know what to say to him ur hell is started here on earth may there souls Rip
ReplyDeleteHe should have killed himself and let the precious children live. The other day an American woman shot her two kids and herself because she was denied welfare. They all died. God should just destroy the world now because humans are getting more and more evil.
ReplyDeleteThis is just heart breaking. Why? Of all the ways to spite his ex, he chose to end the lives of these beautiful kids? What hand do they have in his frustration? GOD! Can't stop staring at their photos. That man should be shot in both legs and then electrocuted! May their souls rest in perfect peace.
ReplyDeleteSome human are not mean to live among other why the kids if i may ask
ReplyDeleteI am so upset.............. How can a father do this to his kids? OMG!
ReplyDeleteDear Lord! ...to SPITE his estranged wife, he KILLED HIS OWN CHILDREN!!! Wow!!!
ReplyDeleteThe heart of man is desperately wicked and full of evil.........a man spiting his wife by terminating the lives of his own flesh and blood,,,,,,so sad!! maybe he's mentally derailed cos i still don't understand how a man in his right senses can do such evil....
ReplyDelete