Convicted father to remain in hospital
A SHOPKEEPER from east London who killed his two children during lockdown has been detained in hospital indefinitely.
Nadarajah Nithiyakumar, 41, (right) of Aldborough Parade, Ilford, was sentenced at the Old Bailey last Thursday (10) for killing his children Pavinya (19 months) and Nigish (three years) in April this year. He admitted manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility after psychiatrists concluded he had a ‘delusional disorder’.
On April 26, Nithiyakumar slit his children’s throats at their family home in Ilford before cutting his own neck and chest while his wife was in the shower, the court heard.
When his wife Nisanthini Nithiyakumar heard noises and went to see what was going on, he told her: “I have cut the children off.”
When the police arrived, she told officers that he stabbed himself and the kids.
Pavinya was pronounced dead at the scene and Nigish died later in hospital. The father underwent surgery and spent time in an induced coma.
Following the charge against him, Nithiyakumar underwent a series of psychological evaluations for both the prosecution and the defence. Both outcomes indicated that at the time of the offences, he was suffering from a delusional disorder. He said there was a ‘problem’ at work and the police were looking for him. The court rejected the claim.
The mother said, “After my children were born, I was the happiest woman in the world. Every moment I spent with my kids, these were my happiest moments. My future ambitions and my life surrounded my children.
“I never expected this sort of incident to happen in my life and a mother to outlive her children. On the day of the incident, I saw my children and what he did to them. I could not understand if it was dream or a nightmare, with those shocking images never leaving me.”
The court heard the father had been granted asylum after arriving from Sri Lanka in 1999. He first came to the attention of mental health services in 2010 and was put on anti-psychotic medication, but his treatment lapsed.