Murdered brothers 'known to children's services'

Two young boys allegedly killed by their mother at their home in Manchester were known to Children’s Services, officials said today.

Two young boys allegedly killed by their mother at their home were known to Children’s Services, officials said today.

The bodies of Romario Mullings-Sewell, two, and his three-month-old brother Delayno were discovered at a property in Kilmington Drive, Cheetham Hill, Manchester, just before 6pm yesterday.

Their 21-year-old mother, who is being held on suspicion of murder, has been sectioned under the Mental Health Act.

Manchester City Council said its children’s social care team was not currently involved with the family.

Pauline Newman, director of Children's Services at Manchester City Council, said: "This is an appalling tragedy and we offer our sincere condolences to the family and family friends of these two young children.

“I can confirm that this family were known to Children’s Services.

“Children’s Social Care were not currently involved with the family; however, in recent months the family were in receipt of community support services including nursery and childminding provision, whilst the mother was attending higher education classes.

“I am currently involved with my senior staff team in urgently considering the nature, extent, and appropriateness of Children’s Services’ involvement with the family."

The boys died after being stabbed in the abdomen, police sources indicated. Post-mortem examinations have not yet been carried out.

The youngsters’ devastated relatives paid tribute to the “two beautiful, innocent children”.

They said in a statement: “We, as a family, are struggling to come to terms with the tragic events of yesterday afternoon and we cannot even begin to understand what happened.

“Everybody is completely devastated. We hope that, wherever the boys have gone to, they are at peace.”

Police were first alerted by a call from a local doctor’s surgery with reports of concern for the welfare of the boys’ mother, Jael Mullings.

Officers visited her home but there was no-one in and they did not enter the property. A neighbour told them the mother had been seen pushing a double buggy with the children at shops nearby.

Officers searched the area and visited the children’s grandmother to try to find Mullings, who was described as in a “distressed state”.

It is understood Mullings then went to her mother’s house and shortly afterwards paramedics received a call to go to Kilmington Drive where they found the children. Police were then called.

A number of neighbours said the young mother had been troubled in recent months.

Locals said yesterday that in the hours before the stabbings, she had been to local shops and was seen shouting in the street and talking to herself.

Detective Superintendent Shaun Donnellan told reporters at the crime scene that police were first alerted because there appeared to be an “unpleasant situation arising. The state of the demeanour of the woman had caused people to telephone,” he said.

The children’s father lived at another address and was being given counselling for shock, as were the police officers who were called to the scene where the bodies were found.

Donnellan added: “It’s impossible to try to understand what they were faced with other than to say it’s something no human being should ever have to see in their life.”

He described the children’s family as close and loving.

“I think the only way to describe it is they are shell-shocked.

“This is a lovely family, a fairly close family with two young children who everybody adored and doted on.”

He said Mullings was known to police over minor criminal matters unrelated to the events yesterday.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is assessing the police response to the phone calls they received before the boys were killed.

Greater Manchester Police referred its handling of the investigation to the IPCC “in line with procedure”.

Mother of one Melissa Bell, 23, said the killings were a “cry for help” by the troubled mother.

She said: “I think it’s really sad. It’s a cry for help and she never got the help she needed. She is a lovely girl. Everyone said she needed help but she never got any.

"Everyone has bad days with a baby. They were well-behaved kids, not rowdy. They were gorgeous. Every time I saw her she was with the kids.

“They were just gorgeous, beautiful. The three-month-old had just started to get a personality of his own.”