Twisted thug who murdered Eastenders actress Sian Blake and their two sons is locked up
The Old Bailey heard Sian had planned to leave 'controlling' Arthur Simpson-Kent
THE controlling partner of Eastenders actress Sian Blake was today handed a whole life sentence after battering his 43-year-old girlfriend and their sons to death.
Triple killer Arthur Simpson-Kent was told he will spend the rest of his life behind bars after pleading guilty to the murders of Sian, Zachary, eight, and four-year-old Amon.
The Old Bailey heard yesterday how Ms Blake's motor neurone disease had weakened her arms and hands to the extent that she would not have been able to fight off an attacker.
The court heard she had planned to leave 'controlling' Simpson-Kent who killed the family before fleeing to a beach resort in Ghana.
Sian, the family's main breadwinner, had recently been diagnosed with the terminal condition and that, along with their "unhealthy" relationship, led her to consider selling their home and moving back in with her close family.
The court heard that Simpson-Kent told psychiatrist Dr Philip Joseph "something just snapped in me".
Tragic Sian's mum, Lyndall, and sister Ava today arrived at court to see her ex-partner jailed for the killing.
She said the family are "living a nightmare" and all they are left with are "precious memories that Arthur can't take".
She added: "I would give my life to have a few more moments with my daughter.
";We leave knowing how Sian and the children had been scared, terrified, before that monster slaughtered them in their home."
Cannabis dealer Simpson Kent, 49, fled to his native Ghana before being extradited back to the UK and admitting the triple killing in Erith, south east London.
He covered up the triple killing by burying their bodies in a shallow grave in the back garden, cleaning and repainting the house and sending fake text messages to Sian's family from her phone.
While police were investigating the disappearances, Simpson-Kent was celebrating the New Year in Africa, where he was described as "really partying".
There were tears in the public gallery as Mr Justice Singh said he had been left "in no doubt" that Simpson-Kent should spend the rest of his life in prison.
As the impassive triple-killer looked on, the judge told the court: "In my judgement this was indeed a case where each murder involved a substantial degree of premeditation or planning.
"At the very least that must be true of the murder of each of the two little boys individually, and in turn after the defendant had already killed Sian Blake.
"Each of the victims was particularly vulnerable because of age or disability."
Mark Heywood QC, prosecuting, told the court yesterday that Ms Blake was planning to return to live with her family "because of her condition and because of the state of their relationship".
He wrote: "Why Ghana? I wanted to die in the place I was born and now is the time.”
His mum begged him not to commit suicide and days later he was found after spending time at beachside bars and was found after locals recognised him following a social media led manhunt.
Cops scoured their family home in South London after 43-year-old Sian and her boys Zachary, eight, and Amon, four, were reported missing in December.
Forensic teams set up tents as they dug trenches and examined a sinister metal bonfire bin at the crime scene.
Simpson-Kent showed no emotion as he admitted to the killings during a five-minute hearing.
Five members of Sian's family, including her mum Lyndall and sister Ava, were in court to hear his admission.
Outside, her sister Ava smiled and said the family were "really relieved".
Following his guilty pleas, Detective Chief Inspector Graeme Gwyn said: "Arthur Simpson-Kent has never given a reason as to why he killed Sian, Zachary and Amon in the way that he did.
"Sian's close-knit family are devastated by the loss of their much loved sister, daughter and cousin. The deaths of Zachary and Amon have compounded their grief and they have lost two entire generations of their family to a violent and completely senseless act of murder at the hands of Simpson-Kent."
Detective Chief Inspector Graeme Gwyn added: "Our efforts to bring Simpson-Kent back to the UK to face justice were greatly expedited by the help we received from the Ghanaian authorities and the National Crime Agency, who alongside us, ensured Simpson-Kent was arrested as soon as possible and returned to the UK."
Timeline of evil: How Arthur Simpson-Kent murdered his family and fled from cops
13 December 2015: Sian and her children are last seen alive
14 December 2015: Sian makes a final phone-call to a friend
16 December 2015: Sian’s sister receives a text from her phone saying she and the children needed to get away for a while.
Cops believe they were already dead at this time
- Sian and the boys are reported missing to Bexley police and a search is launched
- Police visit the family home and speak to Arthur Simpson-Kent but do not follow up their inquiries.
- He flees the country flying from Glasgow to Accra Airport in Ghana, after withdrawing £700 from Sian’s bank account
3 January 2016: Search becomes a murder investigation
5 January 2016: Their bodies are found buried in shallow graves in their back garden
9 January 2016: Police travel to Ghana an arrest Simpson-Kent
12 February 2016: He is extradited to the UK and charged with the killings
10 June 2016: Simpson-Kent pleads guilty to three counts of murder
The killer's defence team requested time to assess his "condition" at the time of the murders, indicating they could look for a reduced sentence due to diminished responsibility.
Hairdresser Simpson-Kent was arrested after neighbours in his Ghanaian hide-away recognised him from media appeals.
He was formally arrested by Met Police after arriving at Heathrow airport in shorts and flip-flops after hiding away in a beach hut in the African village of Butre.
He allegedly told cops he killed Sian as an act of mercy as she had been diagnosed with terminal motor neurone disease.
The Met has been heavily criticised for letting Simpson-Kent slip through their fingers and leave the country after Sian and the kids went missing.
Sian disappeared on 13 December last year and three days later the NSPCC passed on concerns about the welfare of the children.
Cops went to her home and spoke to Simpson-Kent at the house in Pembroke Road but left without making further enquiries.
He told them Sian and the kids had gone to visit friends in Cambridge.
When officers returned to the house on December 16 Simpson-Kent had already fled the country.
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