A man has been sentenced to life imprisonment for killing son and daughter. Jean Francis Say, 62, murdered eight-year-old Regina and 10-year-old Rolls during a weekend visit with him.
On 12th December 2011, at the Old Bailey, Mr. Say was handed a minimum term of 30 years for each of the murders.
Mr. Say called 999 on 13th February shortly after 08:00hrs and told the police operator he had killed his children. He then called his wife and told her he had killed her children. He also told her to come and collect their bodies.
Minutes later police officers arrived at 33 Empire Square, SE1, to find the bodies of the two children in their beds - their throats had been cut and Rolls had also suffered a serious head injury. Both children also suffered defence wounds.
In 2008, Mrs. Say and the children moved out of the family home in Empire Square and Mr. Say was allowed custody of Rolls and Regina at the weekends.
At the time of the murders Mr. Say was set to be evicted from the Empire Square property. He had lost his entitlement to the flat as a consequence of his wife and children moving out of the property.
"Say's actions were cruel, brutal and abhorrent,” Detective Inspector Paul Clack, Child Abuse Command said.
Detective Clack said that the sentence Mr. Say received “reflects the gravity of what he has done. It cannot of course wipe away the terrible loss of these two young children. Nor can it in any way compensate for the unimaginable loss suffered by Regina and Rolls' mother who has displayed great courage, dignity and strength throughout this ordeal. I would like to pay tribute to her and the close friends and family who have helped support her. I would also like to request on her behalf that her privacy is respected through this incredibly difficult period."
