A jury ruled that a woman from Stoke-on-Trent murdered her two children and stabbed her partner on 11 June last year.
Veronique John (50), of Stoke-on-Trent, was subject to a trial of facts on Monday (1 July) at Nottingham Crown Court. John did not participate in the trial as she had been previously deemed unfit to plead by the court.
On 11 June last year, Staffordshire Police were called to Campbell Road after a man was stabbed at a carwash. He was taken to hospital and was later discharged.
On the same day, police went to an address on Flax Street, Stoke. Elizabeth John (7) and Ethan John (11) were found unresponsive.
Both children had sustained serious injuries. Police officers and paramedics tried to save the children but both were sadly declared dead at the scene.
A trial-of-facts case does not require the jury to find the defendant guilty or not guilty. The mental health of the individual is also not considered during this type of trial. Instead, the jury is asked to decide whether or not the person committed the crimes they are accused of.
In this case, the trial found that John did commit the crimes.
Should John be deemed fit to stand trial in future, then a trial would be called. John is currently subject to an indefinite hospital order.
Experienced writer and journalist James McKean leads the daily editorial output at StaffsLive. To contact him, email news@staffslive.co.uk
