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A MUM brutally murdered her children hours after she was released by cops following an attack on her husband, an inquest heard.
Veronique John was detained indefinitely after stabbing her son Ethan, 11, and daughter Elizabeth, seven, at their home in Stoke-on-Trent in June 2023.
In a trial of facts last July, a jury ruled Ethan had been knifed 27 times by John, before she inflicted a fatal head injury on Elizabeth.
She then travelled to a nearby car wash, where she stabbed her husband Nathan John.
Charity worker John, 51, dialled 999 and said: “I am calling to report I just killed my two kids.”
She was charged with two counts of murder and the attempted murder of her partner, but she was ruled unfit to make a plea due to her mental illness.
And an inquest this week heard that John had been arrested and taken into custody just hours before she killed her children.
Stoke Civic Centre heard police were called twice in the two days leading up to the the horrific murders on Sunday, June 11.
Two days before, John had dialled 999 and officers attended the family home in Flax Street.
Nathan was not in the property, but both children were upstairs and deemed to be “medium risk”.
The following day, Nathan called the cops and was discovered with a swollen arm and lump on his head.
He reported his wife had struck him with a piece of wood and threatened to kill him in his sleep.
Officers then arrested John at home before taking her into custody for questioning, where she denied making threats to kill her husband.
She was interviewed under caution and released with a community resolution notice, returning him in the early hours of Sunday.
Hours later, Ethan was found dead in his bedroom with a neck wound.
His younger sister Elizabeth had head trauma and “three areas of sharp force” injury, including to her stomach.
PC John Harrison, who was involved in the case review, told the inquest: “Officers initially went to the home address and that’s where officers found both of the children.
“Veronique John contacted police, stating she was at her home and had killed the children.
“This was a highly unusual outcome. Officers will see a high number of domestic abuse cases, but case like these are extremely rare.”
Sergeant Steven Marriott was responsible for booking John into custody.
He added: “There was nothing that made me feel she needed to see a healthcare professional at the time.
“I did not believe there was any reason to delay the interview with Mrs John.”
PC Megan Maddox, who attended the home on the Saturday, said that John seemed “apologetic” about the assault on her husband.
She added: “While I was speaking to Mr John on the Saturday evening I asked if the children were safe at home with mum and he said yes.
“I believed there was no physical threat to the children.
“He had somewhere else to go and we didn’t believe that she did.
“She was the main carer for the children while he worked and I thought the physical risk was focused on Mr John, not the children.”
An investigation into Staffordshire Police found the force’s service level had been “inadequate”.
The inquest, opened by coroner Emma Serrano, heard that John could have been prevented from returning to her address if a domestic violence protection notice had been issued.
At the trial of facts last year, Nottingham Crown Court heard John had told officers: “If you have a gun shoot me.”
What is a trial of facts?
A trial of facts takes place when a court determines that a person is unfit to stand trial under usual criminal proceedings.
It cannot result in a conviction but a jury will instead determine whether an accused committed the alleged acts.
Prosecutors will put their evidence against the defendant before a judge and jury, in a courtroom, in a similar way to a normal criminal trial.
But the accused will not play a role in proceedings and do not even have to attend court.
Unlike a criminal trial, the jury do not find the defendant guilty or not guilty and are instead asked to decide if the defendant committed the offence with which they are charged.
They will also focus solely on what the accused has allegedly done, rather than if they had the mental capacity at the time to be found guilty.
The defendant can still be acquitted as per a normal trial if the panel is not satisfied they carried out the crime.
Sentencing options include treatment orders, hospital orders and supervision or guardianship orders.
In some cases, a judge will grant an absolute discharge – meaning the defendant is free to go.
She later claimed her husband had been cheating on her, adding: “I did it because I love my children – to protect the children.
“It’s something I was thinking about for a long time – just kill myself and the kids.
“I am not a monster – he was going to take them from me.
“If there’s any possible way I could be put to death, I would like that. I mean it 100 per cent.”
Prosecutor Peter Grieves-Smith said her “rage was boiling just under the surface”.
Mr Grieves-Smith said: “What happened on June 11 didn’t come out of the blue. Tension grew in the days before.
“That day she just erupted, killed her children and attacked Nathan.”
The inquest continues.
