Killer facing life in prison after admitting murders of nurse and two children

A triple-killer has pleaded guilty to the murders of an NHS nurse and her two young children who died after being found with serious injuries at a flat in Northamptonshire last year.

The Crown’s case against Saju Chelavalel was not opened after he admitted three counts of murder during a 12-minute hearing at Northampton Crown Court on Wednesday.

The 52-year-old, who was remanded in custody and will be sentenced in July, spoke through an interpreter to admit murdering health worker Anju Asok and her children, six-year-old Jeeva Saju and Janvi Saju, aged four.

All three of his victims were found at a property in Petherton Court, Kettering, on December 15 last year.

Despite the efforts of paramedics and police officers, Ms Asok died at the scene and the two children later died in hospital.

Chelavalel, also of Petherton Court, answered “guilty” to two of the counts he faced, but in relation to the charge of murdering Jeeva he replied: “I don’t know what happened to the children, but I plead guilty.”

Adjourning the case until July 3, Judge David Herbert KC said: “There can only be one sentence in law, namely a life sentence, but the judge dealing with your case on that day will have to set the appropriate minimum term.

“In the meantime you will be remanded in custody.”

An inquest which opened shortly after the deaths was told the two children were believed to have been strangled.

The hearing was told a forensic post-mortem examination at Leicester Royal Infirmary concluded that all three died of asphyxiation, but at the opening of the inquests into their deaths, a coroner said that the medical cause of death for the children had been listed as strangulation, while Ms Asok had died of asphyxia.

Ms Asok, who was aged 35, worked as a nurse at Kettering General Hospital.