Smother deaths inquest adjourned
- 00:01:05
- ITN
Smother deaths inquest adjourned
A coroner has described the deaths of two girls who are believed to have been smothered by their father as a "terrible event". Southampton coroner Keith Wiseman told the brief hearing that the bodies of three-year-old Ellie Marie Cass, 14-month-old Isobelle Francis Cass and their father David Michael George Cass, 33, had been identified by family members. He said that post-mortem examinations conducted by Home Office pathologist Hugh White had concluded the two girls had died from smothering and Mr Cass from hanging. Mr Wiseman said: "This is obviously a terrible event and I would like to express my very sincere condolences to all the close family who must have suffered a great deal." Only the media attended the hearing at Southampton Coroner's Court. No family members were present. Mechanic Mr Cass is believed to have killed his daughters, who lived with their mother in Fair Oak, Hampshire, on Sunday night in a caravan parked where he worked in Southampton. He then went inside Paynes Road Car Sales garage area and hanged himself. A family friend said that after the murders, Mr Cass phoned the girls' mother Kerrie Hughes to say: "The children have gone to sleep forever". Mr Wiseman confirmed those events, saying that Ms Hughes had called police at 6.42pm on Sunday after receiving the call from Mr Cass saying he had smothered their children and was about to hang himself. The youngsters were found in the caravan and their father in a garage building next door. Mr Cass received custody of the children at about 2pm on Saturday afternoon and he was supposed to have returned them sometime the following day, the hearing was told The coroner expects the hearing to resume in a few weeks when the full circumstances would be given.
ITN | September 24, 2008
