Endris Mohammed denies the murders of Saros Endris, 8, and his sister Leanor, 6
A father accused of suffocating his two children before burning the family home down has blamed their deaths on his mental illness, a court has heard.
Endris Mohammed denies the murders of Saros Endris, 8, and his sister Leanor, 6, as well as the attempted murder of their mother Penil Teklehaimanot.
Ms Teklehaimanot, 37, was treated for minor injuries following the 3.40am blaze at the house in Hamstead, Birmingham.
Birmingham Crown Court was told how Mohammed admits being responsible for his kid’s deaths on the grounds of diminished responsibility.
At the start of his trial, Mr Justice Gilbart told the jury that they would have to consider the 47-year-old’s mental state at the time of the alleged murders.
After the panel was sworn in, the judge told the jury: ‘The defendant accepts causing their deaths – this is not a case where he is saying that he denies it.
‘The issue is whether he was suffering from a mental disorder and, if so, whether he can establish a defence of what is called diminished responsibility.’
Saros Endris, aged eight, and his six-year-old sister Leanor’s ‘lifeless’ bodies were pulled from the blaze last October
The scarred defendant appeared in the dock wearing a sweatshirt and a white bandage wrapped around the top of his head
A grieving woman (pictured) is led away from the scene of the fire in Hamstead, Birmingham
Both children were pronounced dead after being taken to hospital following a house fire in Hamstead, Birmingham, last October.
The scarred defendant appeared in the dock wearing a sweatshirt and a white bandage wrapped around the top of his head.
Emergency services were called to the family home in Handsworth in the early hours of October 28.
Neighbours managed to rescue the children from the house as a fire raged in the hallway, but firefighters found them ‘lifeless’ on the front lawn.
The youngsters were tragically pronounced dead in hospital.
After the incident neighbours described hearing a horrible wailing and people frantically trying to perform CPR on the children.
The trial is expected to last two weeks.
Emergency services were called to the family home in Handsworth in the early hours of October 28
Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.