Ilford father detained for killing his children during lockdown

Pavinya Nithiyakumar (left) and three-year-old Nigish Nithiyakumar died in April

A father who killed his two children in the family home during lockdown has been detained in hospital indefinitely.

Nadarajah Nithiyakumar attacked 19-month-old Pavinya and three-year-old Nigish with a knife in Ilford, east London, on 26 April.

The 41-year-old previously admitted two counts of manslaughter by diminished responsibility.

He was handed a hospital order without limit of time following a hearing at the Old Bailey.

The children's mother had been in the shower when Nithiyakumar attacked them.

Pavinya was pronounced dead at the scene while Nigish was rushed to a hospital in Whitechapel where he later died.

Nadarajah Nithiyakumar previously admitted two counts of manslaughter by diminished responsibility

Psychiatrists concluded Nithiyakumar had been suffering a delusional disorder when he killed his son and daughter, the court was told.

Sentencing him, Mrs Justice Cutts said the consequences of his actions had been "devastating".

"Two young and innocent children have had their futures and their lives taken from them by their own father," she said.

In a victim impact statement the children's mother, Nisanthini Nithiyakumar, said she had "doted" on them and "every moment I spent with my kids, these were my happiest moments".

"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 children were found fatally injured in the home in Aldborough Road North

The court was told the defendant had returned home from work that afternoon and had started watching television before he attacked his children with a knife and stabbed himself.

When his wife went to see what had happened, he told her there was a "problem" at work and the police were looking for him.

"If they get the children they will spoil them. That is the reason I did this to the children," he told her.

Following his arrest, Nithiyakumar told police he was depressed and stressed, the Old Bailey heard.

In mitigation, Steven Perian QC said his client "realises what he has done. He has started to understand his actions and is devastated from what has occurred".