‘I knew he must have done something terrible’
Sykes and moved in with her mum. She says: “He tried to make me weigh myself in front of the boys, but I didn’t want them to think this is how you treat people in relationships.”
A court order stated the boys had to spend five hours spread across a week with their dad.
Claire recalls: “I tried to get a residency order so he could only visit while I was present, but it was rejected. In the past he’d grabbed Paul’s throat and almost choked him when he wouldn’t eat his bread crusts and he hit Jack for being cheeky. It broke my heart.”
Tragically, Sykes took his sick revenge – setting fire to the former family home while the boys were visiting.
Claire says: “He’d told them he’d got a new train set and they were excited about playing with it. I dropped them off at school and they shouted: ‘I love you to infinity and beyond,’ a line from their favourite film Toy Story . That’s the last time I saw them.”
That night, a police car pulled up outside Claire’s mum’s house.
She says: “A police officer explained I needed to get to hospital. Straight away I knew Darren must have done something terrible. When we arrived I was taken to Paul’s side and told he was critical and that he’d suffered smoke inhalation from the fire. He looked perfect apart from a scratch on his nose. He’d inhaled too much smoke and, as he slipped away, I felt my world ending.
“Jack had 56 per cent burns and was fighting for his life. I kept a vigil by his side but five days later he died from a cardiac arrest. His last words were: ‘My dad did this and he did it on purpose.’ I didn’t feel there was any reason to live.”
PLANNED MURDER
Police informed Claire her ex-husband’s body had also been recovered from the fire and an investigation revealed he’d planned the murder.
In the months after her boys’ deaths Claire struggled to cope. She says: “Every time I closed my eyes, I was haunted by images of how frightened they must have been.
“At the funeral, mums from the town joined hands with me and we formed a circle of love that made me feel so supported. Saying goodbye to the boys was the worst pain imaginable. I’m still struggling to cope and I live hour by hour. I sleep in the boys’ bedroom, it makes me feel close to them.”
A serious case review found a Family Court advisor failed to fully read Claire’s court application and overlooked some of the concerns she raised.
Claire is now supporting the Child First campaign, launched by domestic abuse charity Women’s Aid, to protect vulnerable children from violent parents.
She adds: “I made it clear to the courts that Darren was dangerous, but he was still allowed access to my sons. I held my sons in my arms as they died and no parent should have to endure that.”