SA mom held in UK after her disabled children die
Investec banker on way back to London after family tragedy discovered
ADEVASTATED father was flying from South Africa to England yesterday after his wife was questioned on suspicion of having killed three of their four children at their home in England.
The three-year-old twin boys and four-year-old daughter of Tania and Gary Clarence were found dead “under suspicious circumstances” on Tuesday night.
All had spinal muscular atrophy, a severe genetic disorder.
Tania Clarence is a South African graphic artist now living in the south of England and her husband is head of healthcare at Investec there.
They lived in the upmarket suburb of New Malden in Surrey, where police detained the wife and mother for questioning.
A friend, who did not want to be named, spoke last night as crime scene officers suited up and entered the house to continue their investigation.
Police have yet formally to charge Clarence, 42, or say how the children were killed.
Her husband was in South Africa with his eldest daughter. He was said to be flying back with his mother and was described by friends as “beyond shock”.
The daughter, who is believed to be eight, does not suffer from her siblings’ disease.
“My heart goes out to the family, including Tania. It’s a tragedy,” her friend said.
“They [Tania and Gary] did not go and have babies knowing they were giving them a genetic disease. She has been slammed for having three kids with SMA.
“They had the one child, their second child, who was young, only a few months old, when she fell pregnant [with the twins].
“It was not planned, but they felt they could cope.
“While she was pregnant, the second child was diagnosed as having SMA. The twins were then born prematurely and stayed in hospital for a long time. The [parents] then asked for the twins to be tested for SMA as well. Tania came home with three kids severely disabled. Everything was regulated, everything they ate diarised. I bet Tania had not had a decent night’s sleep in a few years.”
The couple employed a carer and a domestic worker, but did not have 24-hour help.
“They tried to have a normal family life in the evening, by not having a house full of carers.
“Tania’s borne the brunt [of it]. Gary is a businessman and had to [travel].
“Everybody who met her could not but be compassionate.
“Most would think. ‘There but for the grace of God go I’,” the friend said.
The Clarences spent close to a year renovating and expanding their home, estimated to be valued at £1.1-million (about R19-million) before moving in last year.
They installed a lift for their wheelchair-bound children.
A care facility that has had contact with the family provides nursing, practical and emotional care and support for young children with life-limiting illnesses and their families, reports said.
The facility also provides “short breaks for the kids at their hospice . . . just to give people [parents] a break”.
The mother was raised a Methodist, her friend said.
The Christian ichthys symbol, a fish, is displayed on the back of one of the couple’s cars, a black Audi SUV, parked at their home.
In the driveway of the house are flowers, toys, candles and messages of condolence from friends and neighbours.
One reads: “Is this not an alarm bell for all of us? We need to be more mental health aware. Sadly, we had to lose three angels to see it. RIP angels.”
Neighbour Joy Devis said: “They are good parents. I worked as a nurse and midwife with families and disabled children for years and there was nothing about them to worry anyone. They seemed very happy.”
Durban resident Cara Reilly, whose daughter Leigh died of spinal muscular atrophy, said: “It’s not right to have three children like that. I feel for her. I can’t imagine it.”
Gary Clarence completed an MBA in the Netherlands, having earlier been awarded a law degree at Stellenbosch University.
He has worked for Investec for 15 years. He worked in the US for a brief stint and then for the bank in London since 2004.
Investec said the company was doing “all that we can to help Gary and his eldest child”.
In London, Superintendent Glenn Tunstall said the investigation was at “a very early stage” but police were “not looking at further suspects”. – Additional reporting by Katharine Child