Fathers who take children’s lives often motivated by love

NEITHER Collins’ dictionary nor the Oxford Thesaurus will attest to it, yet the word ‘filicide’ has entered the English language to describe the murder of a child by a parent, a notion that is so disturbing it — literally — defies description.

Though it may be hard to credit, many fathers who take their children’s lives do it for love, rather than evil, according to an expert in the field.

Dr Kevin Browne believes there are two types of men who kill their children. The first is motivated by love and is wholly driven by suicidal tendencies, while the second is often motivated by revenge or jealousy.