Two children killed in stabbing

[Raj_Paandy]

Police have arrested the parents of two children who were stabbed to death in an attack at a home in south London.

A five-year-old boy, a girl aged four and a six-month-old girl were found with stab wounds at an address in Carshalton on Friday night.

The older children later died and the baby girl remains in a serious condition in hospital.

The children's father, 39, and mother, 35, were arrested and are being questioned by police.

Officers were called to the house, on a busy road in the quiet suburb, at 2230 BST on Friday.

Murder squad detectives and the Child Abuse Investigation Command are now investigating the incident.

Baby's condition 'improved'

The injured boy and girl died within 15 minutes of each other shortly before midnight on Friday after being taken to hospital.

The injured girl's condition improved from critical to serious on Saturday morning.

All three children are believed to be siblings.

Sen Gupta, who lives opposite the house, said the family who lived there were Tamils from Sri Lanka and had moved into the house "less than a year ago".

Another neighbour, Pam Thomas, saw paramedics carrying the children to ambulances on Friday night.

"There were so many ambulances, five or six, that I was expecting them to bring out more people," she added.

Another nearby resident, John Bailey, told the BBC about 10 emergency vehicles arrived in the street and the children were rushed out of the house.

He saw paramedics attempting to resuscitate one of them.

"They put...the child in the back of the ambulance and it stayed there for about five or 10 minutes, and that never went away with sirens on either, so you thought the worst," he added.

Neighbour Carol Bradley told BBC News she used to see the children as they played outside their home.

She recalled: "They were lovely little children, you know, really sweet."

Post-mortem examinations are expected to be carried out on the two dead children over the weekend.

Police said they believed they knew their identities but officers were still waiting for confirmation that all family members had been informed of the incident.

[Raj_Paandy]

Stabbed children's father freed

The father of two children who were stabbed to death has been released without charge after questioning.

The 39-year-old man and the children's mother were arrested after a five-year-old boy and a girl aged four were found with fatal injuries.

The couple's six-month-old daughter, who was also stabbed, has undergone surgery and is critically ill.

The children were found at the family home in Carshalton, south London, on Friday night.

The Metropolitan Police said the man would face no further action in relation to the children's deaths.

Mother in hospital

But he has been bailed to return to a police station on another matter.

The children's mother, aged 35, remains under arrest but is being treated in hospital for minor injuries.

The names of the children and their parents have not been released by police.

The dead children have yet to be formally identified.

The house where the children were found remains cordoned off as the investigation continues.

The injured boy and girl died within 15 minutes of each other shortly after being taken to hospital.

The baby girl is said by police to be in a critical but stable condition in hospital, following her operation.

[cholanraja]

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