Children found dead in Staines 'doted on' dad

Piotr Swiderski with his three children Nikodem, Dominik and Kacper Image source, Surrey Police
Image caption,

Piotr Swiderski with his three children Nikodem, Dominik and Kacper

  • Published

Three children found dead at a house with their father have been described as “full of life and happiness” by their grieving mother.

In a statement, Angelika Swiderska paid tribute to Dominik, aged three, and Nikodem and Kacper, both aged two.

She said the children "doted on their daddy", who had been identified by police as Polish national Piotr Swiderski, aged 31.

Surrey Police were called by the ambulance service to the house in Staines, Surrey, on Saturday.

“Piotr was an amazing husband and father to Kacper, Nikodem and Dominik. He loved us with all his heart and would have done anything for us," Ms Swiderska said.

“Our boys were happy, active children, full of life and happiness. They were always smiling and even when I looked sad, they would say, 'Mummy smile like us'.

“I would like to say a huge thank you to all our community for all the messages of condolence, flowers, cards, and teddy bears and for all the kind words about our family.”

The mother asked for privacy “as we try to understand why this tragedy happened”.

Surrey Police previously said it had referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), due to previous contact with the family.

The IOPC said on Tuesday that the previous contact, in August 2023, "related to concerns about a man's mental health".

"Police spoke with the caller and obtained further information before updating the ambulance service, who accepted responsibility for the incident. Police did not attend the address," it said in a statement.

An IOPC investigation into the contact will not take place "given there was no further police contact after this incident" it said.

Image source, SONJA JESSUP/BBC
Image caption,

Kent Police said it had referred itself to the IOPC, due to previous contact with the family

Surrey Police was called by the ambulance service to the property at about 13:15 BST on Saturday.

In a statement issued on Sunday, it said it believed the deaths were an isolated incident with no third-party involvement.

The force added that post mortems would take place in due course.

On Monday, floral tributes lined the wall outside a property, alongside candles, soft toys and balloons.

A tribute from neighbours read: "We have no words, but our thoughts and love are with you at this extremely hard time. RIP little angels."

Det Ch Insp Gareth Hicks previously said: "This is a truly tragic incident and a thorough investigation is under way to establish exactly what happened.”

Follow BBC Surrey on Facebook, external, on X, external. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk , external or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.