Great Waldingfield: Man tried to take own life after killing wife and daughter, court told

Louise (left) and Jillu Nash were found dead at their home in Great Waldingfield

A man who allegedly murdered his wife and their daughter then tried to take his life, a court heard.

Peter Nash, 46, is accused of killing Jillu Nash, 43, and Louise Nash, 12, who were found dead at home on the Heath Estate in Great Waldingfield, Suffolk, on 8 September.

A post-mortem examination found Louise had been stabbed in the abdomen and her mother died from pressure to the neck.

Mr Nash, of the same address, denies murder and is representing himself.

He did not appear for the hearing and the judge Mr Justice Edward Murray told jurors not to speculate about reasons for his absence.

Prosecutor David Josse told Ipswich Crown Court Mr Nash was "self-pitying" after he found out his wife planned to leave him for a work colleague.

Mark Leamey, whom Mrs Nash was having a relationship with, became worried when he could not contact her late on 7 September and on the morning of 8 September.

Emergency services were called to the family's home and found Mrs Nash and the couple's daughter dead.

Mr Nash was still in the property and had stabbed himself in the chest multiple times and tried to gas himself, the court was told.

'Cover up'

Mr Josse earlier told jurors that the couple "had a difficult and unhappy marriage".

Videos were found on Mrs Nash's phone of her talking to her husband, which the prosecution believe she had tried to film "covertly".

In one clip he called his wife a "validated cheater".

In another recorded less than a fortnight before the deaths, Mr Nash accused his wife of being "a schemer" who causes chaos to get attention.

The prosecution said the defendant made a "determined attempt to try to cover up not so much the killing, but some of the evidence behind it".

"He attempted to destroy his telephone, his wife's telephone and made some attempt as well at their home computer," Mr Josse said.

Police have not been able to access Mr Nash's phone, he added.

However they did identify three TikTok videos which showed the "embittered and self-pitying mindset from which the defendant had become entrenched".

One of the clips had the text: "A broken man who has rebuilt himself is very dangerous".

Another, which showed Kermit the Frog by a fire, said: "Do girls actually feel for hurting a guy or do they just say their apologies and never think about how she affected his life again".

The trial, due to last six weeks, continues.