SA woman weeps in UK court after murdering children

Dad watches as tearful wife faces charges of killing kids

SOUTH African mother, Tania Clarence, has appeared in a British court charged with murdering her three severely disabled children.

Clarence, 42, made a brief and tearful appearance at Wimbledon Magistrate’s Court yesterday where she was remanded.

Dressed in a grey smock, she stood in the dock flanked by a male and female security guard, while her husband Gary – surrounded by family – sat a few metres away in the public gallery.

Supported by his mother Anne, brother Kevin and sister Derri, he hugged friends who had also attended court.

It is thought to have been the first time Gary and Tania have seen each other since their three children – Olivia, Max and Ben – died.

Gary, who had been in his native South Africa on holiday with his eldest, eight-year-old daughter at the time of the alleged murders, looked at his wife as the charges were read out. Her voice breaking with emotion, she spoke tearfully to confirm her name, address and date of birth.

Gary, wearing a dark suit and white shirt, looked close to tears as he listened to proceedings. His wife did not look across the court to him during the two-minute hearing.

Chairwoman of the Magistrates’ Bench, Fiona Abbott, read the charges to Tania, that between April 20 and April 23 she murdered Olivia Clarence, Ben Clarence and Max Clarence at an address in Thetford Road, New Malden, Surrey.

The case was sent to the Old Bailey for a preliminary hearing on May 9.

A bail hearing is due to take place on Tuesday. Tania was arrested on Tuesday night after police were called to her home, where they discovered the bodies of her three younger children.

All three children had been suffering from a genetic condition known as spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), and had not been expected to live beyond the age of five.

Post-mortem examinations were carried out on three-year-old twins Ben and Max, and four-year-old Olivia.

Gary, who works as a director at City bank Investec, immediately flew back to London after being told about their deaths. It is understood he was not allowed to see his wife before she was charged.

A source close to the family said Gary was struggling to comprehend what had happened. “He is in a real state.” A family statement called for privacy amid the “devastating circumstances”.

Tania was pregnant with her twins when the family discovered that Olivia had a life-limiting genetic condition. Doctors warned her there was a 50% chance her twins could also have the condition.

Tests confirmed the diagnosis when the boys were born and the couple had to confront the prospect that three of their children were unlikely to live beyond their fifth birthday. SMA causes muscle wasting and leads to breathing difficulties.

The family moved to New Malden last year and had spent about £1-million (R17.9-million) adapting their home to cater for their disabled children.

Speaking from South Africa on Thursday, a close family friend said news of the deaths was hard to comprehend.

Lloyd Marshall, who manages a hotel in Johannesburg founded by Gary’s father, said: “Gary is a family guy, the kids are his world. His wife is lovely too. As a couple they are a remarkable and special family.”

He said the couple had been devastated by the diagnosis, but had coped “amazingly well”.

“It really was very hard work for them. They discovered it while they were on holiday here a few years ago when they noticed their daughter was having problems sitting up properly.” Marshall said the family were told their children might live for as little as two years.

“They were working through it, handling it exceptionally. Gary would never have travelled if there was an indication of a problem.”

A spokesman for Investec, where Gary was head of healthcare, described him as “a valued colleague”.

Joy Devis, 86, who lived next door to the couple, said: “They were very loving parents. And the children were so lovely, three of them were severely handicapped but they were very happy.”

A Scotland Yard spokesman said on Thursday night the post- mortem examinations of the children were ongoing.