Grieving father pays tribute to dead twins
A FATHER has paid tribute to his “beautiful” 23-month-old twins as their mother appeared in court charged with their murder.
Jake and Chloe Ford were found dead at a house in Margate, Kent, early on Boxing Day.
Just hours before Samantha Ford appeared in court charged with her children’s murder, father Stephen Ford posted a poignant message on Twitter.
He captioned a pictured of the siblings: “Daddy’s twins. My beautiful babies. I love you.”
Less than an hour before the youngsters were found, Mrs Ford was involved in a car crash on a dual carriageway. The 37-year-old mother allegedly crashed the family’s Ford Galaxy into the back of a lorry before she was taken to hospital.
Officers had visited the home over concerns for the welfare of its occupants, Kent Police said.
The children were taken to hospital but they were pronounced dead and their mother was arrested on Thursday.
Dressed in a grey jumper, Mrs Ford appeared at Canterbury magistrates’ court yesterday charged with murdering Jake and Chloe on Dec 26.
During the brief hearing she was remanded in custody until tomorrow, when she will appear at Maidstone
Crown Court.
Mr Ford previously worked as a club captain at Doha Golf Club in Qatar, where the family reportedly lived in 2016.
Tributes, including flowers and two small teddy bears, were left outside the property over the weekend.
There was no application for bail and Mrs Ford is expected to appear via video link tomorrow.
The twins’ grandmother, Pamela Emptage, 80, told The Sun: “They were lovely. I mean they were not even two years old yet. It’s absolutely tragic.”