Mom charged with murder of three disabled children

SCOTLAND Yard has charged South African mother Tania Clarence with the murder of her three disabled children.

Police said last night she would appear in court today.

Postmortem examinations of the children that began yesterday were continuing, the police said.

It appears that Clarence’s grieving husband, Gary, has struggled to face the task of identifying the children’s bodies. This emerged when Scotland Yard was asked why the names of those involved had not yet been officially released.

A spokesman said: “At this stage we don’t have a formal identification – it has not taken place.”

Asked what a formal identification entailed, the spokesman said: “A relative or next of kin has formally to identify the [victims].”

Gary, who arrived back in London yesterday, was reported to be in “absolute shock”.

Four-year-old Olivia and threeyear-old twin boys Ben and Max suffered from spinal muscular atrophy, a severe genetic disorder. They were found dead at the family home in London on Tuesday evening.

Their mother had suffered minor injuries, for which she was treated at a hospital before being arrested.

The South African-born couple’s eldest daughter does not suffer from SMA. She was with her father on holiday in South Africa when they received the news of the deaths and the arrest of Clarence.

The mother had given up her career as a graphic artist to devote herself to caring for the children.

A picture of a woman under immense strain has emerged from friends, who say Gary, a director at Investec, travelled often.

One friend said: “He had his business and he went away. Before Christmas, he went to South Africa with the two girls and he also went to Atlanta to watch golf.

“And then he had time out again in South Africa [when tragedy struck at home in England].”

The friend said she hoped that her speaking out would help people realise the enormous stress and strain Clarence, who had probably “not had a decent sleep in years”, was under and she would be treated with compassion.

A friend said Gary had lost his father to cancer in October.

Gary and his eldest daughter were accompanied by his brother, sister and mother when they flew to London on Wednesday night.

The friend said the Clarences were “the loveliest family”.

Gary’s father founded the large Birchwood Conference Centre, near OR Tambo International Airport, which the family still runs. – Additional reporting by Katharine Child