Father drugged sons whose bodies were found at foot of cliff after stabbing wife to death, inquest told

The father and sons were found on the beach at Birling Gap
PA
Jacob Jarvis8 May 2019
WEST END FINAL

Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories, opinion and expert analysis

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

Two boys whose bodies were found at the bottom of a cliff had been drugged by their father after he stabbed their mother to death, an inquest has heard.

Adelino Gabriel Figueira de Faria, 57, was also found dead alongside his sons Claudio, 10, and Joaquin, seven, on the beach at Birling Gap in Eastbourne.

Around an hour later, their 47-year-old mother Laura Cecilia Navarrete De Figueira was found with stab wounds at her home in South Road, Twickenham.

Traces of a sedative which should only be prescribed to adults were present in both children as well their mother after, the inquest at West London Coroner's Court heard on Wednesday.

Forensic pathologist Charlotte Randall said the drug was found in both of the "previously fit and healthy boys", following their discovery on March 5 last year.

Police at the family home following the deaths
Jonathan Brady/PA

Dr Randall added it was not possible to say whether they jumped, fell or were pushed from the top of the cliff.

The cliff reached more than 200ft above where their bodies were found.

Judith Wells recalled seeing a male figure appearing to hold the hands of two boys in bright red jackets as they walked away from her, on the afternoon of March 5.

In a statement read by coroner Sean Cummings, she said: "They seemed to be walking very slowly, almost plodding along.

"The children looked tired, they were walking in a reluctant manner - not the way you would expect a child to walk unless they were tired.

"The three of them were walking very slowly up the hill and I remember thinking that the children did not look like they were having a lot of fun."

Murder probe: Forensic officers leave the property in South Road, Twickenham, where a woman was stabbed to death
PA

The bodies of the father and his sons were discovered by a photographer as he descended the hill and the inquest was told that the boys' mother, Mrs Figueira, was killed in her bed either late on March 4 or early on March 5.

Officers at the family home in south-west London described discovering her body in the master bedroom.

She was lying on her back on the bed, with a large amount of blood around her neck and chest.

Twickenham: Forensic officers exit a house in South Road
PA

Wounds on her hands and fingers suggest she attempted to fight back, though she may not have been awake when the attack started.

A knife, which had been put through a dishwasher cycle and may have been the weapon, as well as blood-stained clothes were later discovered at the house, the inquest was told.

Quoting from a post-mortem report from consultant forensic pathologist Dr Olaf Biedrzycki, Mr Cummings said: "Injuries at this point could be considered as indication of so-called defensive wounds. For at least the initial part of the attack, the deceased was awake and alert as the attack occurred and made attempts to defend herself."

The inquest heard Mrs Figueira suffered more than 60 wounds.

The coroner ruled that all three members of the family were killed unlawfully, calling the attack on Mrs Figueira "particularly savage and brutal", while a separate inquest was then opened for Mr Figueira de Faria.

Notes were found on the downstairs dining room table which revealed his despair and anguish with the world. Acquaintances recalled that he had seemed depressed leading up to his death.

There was no evidence that the couple, who moved to London in November 2015 from Venezuela, had worked during their time in the UK, he said.

He added that their rental tenancy was due to be imminently renewed.

The family had potentially reached a "pinch-point" in their finances he said, but said they could not find one specific reason for what had taken place.

The boys were said to be happy and popular children and there had been no concern for their welfare.

Mr Cummings added the deaths of the boys and their mother were an "inexplicable puzzle".

Concluding that Mr Figueira de Faria died by suicide, Mr Cummings said: "This is a terribly sad case and I think DS Flynn put it very well when he said that Adelino simply could not see a way forward, and the family have my sincere condolences."

Additional reporting by Press Association

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in