Violent mother was allowed home by police hours before she murdered her children, seven and 11, inquest hears

Daily Mail​

2 days ago

A mother killed her two young children just hours after she was allowed to return home by police, an inquest has heard.
Veronique John, 50, carried out the fatal attacks on Elizabeth, seven, and Ethan, 11, at their Stoke home on Flax Street in June 2023.
She had been detained the previous day after her husband, Nathan, called 999 alleging she had assaulted him. Mr John was discovered with a swollen forearm and lump on his forehead.
Police said Veronique John 'seemed quite apologetic' about the assault and so they allowed her to return home in the early hours of Sunday, June 11.
Mr John went to another address, leaving his wife alone with their children. But he rang police again that afternoon to report he had been stabbed.
PC Harrison said: 'Officers initially went to the home address and that's where officers found both of the children. Veronique John contacted police, stating she was at her home and had killed the children.'
Paramedics attended the home address but were unable to save the children. They were pronounced dead just after 2.30pm.
An inquest at Stoke Civic Centre yesterday heard that if a domestic violence protection notice had been issued instead of a community resolution notice, Veronique John would have been prevented from returning to her home address for 48 hours.
Veronique John stabbed her children Ethan (left), 11, and Elizabeth (right), seven, to death at their family home on Sunday, June 11
John 'erupted' into violence and stabbed her son Ethan John more than 20 times and inflicted brain damage on her daughter Elizabeth John, before heading to a car wash in a dressing gown to stab her husband in the stomach.
A trial-of-facts hearing at Nottingham Crown Court was told John then returned home, dialled 999 and told the operator: 'I am calling to report I just killed my two kids.'
The charity shop worker was said to have suspected her husband of having an affair, and she later told interviewing officers: 'I didn't want my husband to get them'.
A jury found the injuries she inflicted led to the deaths of her daughter and son and that she also unlawfully stabbed their father in the stomach.
Police had initially been called by Veronique John on Friday, June 9 where PC Megan Maddox discovered her husband, Nathan, had left the house by the time she arrived. John's two children upstairs were deemed to be 'medium risk'.
An investigation found the service level given by Staffordshire Police to be 'inadequate', the inquest heard. The children's father had raised concerns that weekend his wife would 'use the children against him'.
PC John Harrison, who was involved in the case review, told the inquest: 'In respect of the John family, this was their first interaction with Staffordshire Police. I believe (the children) overheard verbal arguing; both children were in bed upstairs and didn't see any violence.'
Following a police visit to the house, Mr John told officers his wife had assaulted him with a piece of wood and she had threatened to stab him in his sleep. Veronique John was arrested at home later that day and taken into custody for questioning, where she admitted she had slapped her husband, but denied making any threats to kill.
Sergeant Steven Marriott, who was responsible for booking in at the northern area custody facility that evening, said John confirmed she was taking medication for depression.
The facility's mental health team were not present at the time, as they operated until 8pm and had left for the day, but a healthcare professional was available to assess John if it was considered necessary.
Sergeant Marriott told the inquest: 'There was nothing that made me feel she needed to see a healthcare professional at the time. I did not believe there was any reason to delay the interview with Mrs John.'
PC Maddox told the inquest: 'While I was speaking to Mr John on the Saturday evening I asked if the children were safe at home with mum and he said yes; I believed there was no physical threat to the children.
'He had somewhere else to go and we didn't believe that she did. She was the main carer for the children while he worked and I thought the physical risk was focussed on Mr John, not the children.'
PC Harrison said: 'This was a highly unusual outcome. Officers will see a high number of domestic abuse cases, but cases like these are extremely rare.'
The inquest heard Veronique John had been handed an indefinite hospital order.