Perry Samuel

Case information

Perry Samuel was sentenced to life in prison (minimum 35 years) on March 8, 2007 after admitting murdering his two young children.

Background

Perry Samuel was 35 years old. He had manic depression. The children were his son Aidan, three, and his daughter Caitlin, five. Their mother was Sarah Graham, aged 23 at the time of the murders.

The relationship between Samuel and Sarah Graham included a period when they split up, with Samuel later becoming depressed about that. They reunited before the murders. Sarah Graham had been away at a pop concert in Manchester with friends and had left Samuel to care for the children. Samuel shared a terrace home with Sarah Graham in Bodelwyddan, Denbighshire.

The court heard that, at one point, Samuel suspected Sarah Graham might be seeing a male friend after he looked at text messages on her mobile phone. Sarah Graham said she wished she could go to sleep and not wake, and she said that Perry had destroyed her life and that he had taken away the lives of her “beautiful babies”. She also described regular nightmares and said her pain would never go.

Samuel had been receiving mental health care for manic depression/bipolar disorder. The court heard he had been admitted to a psychiatric ward for a month in March 1998. He was sectioned in January 1999 and was arrested in November 2000 for an incident in which he admitted burglary. A charge of arson was ordered to lie on file. In June 2004 he suffered a further manic episode, and in March 2006 he was said to be in low mood during his separation from Sarah Graham. Samuel was hospitalised with depression after trying to commit suicide when he and Sarah Graham temporarily separated in February last year; during the separation Sarah Graham began seeing another man, and Samuel and Sarah Graham were reunited five months later in July.

Samuel had been treated for manic depression since he was 27. A psychiatrist had been seen one month before the murders, and experts concluded he was of sound mind and not suffering a depressive episode when he killed his children. He pleaded guilty to murder, not manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

The offence

Samuel admitted murdering his two children in their bath. He held his hands over the mouths and noses of Caitlin, five, and Aidan, three, until they lost consciousness and died. Judge John Rogers said Samuel took them “one after the other” and put his hand over their mouths and noses, disregarding their desperate struggle to get air into their lungs, and left his hands there until life itself left their bodies. Judge Rogers also said Samuel “abused the most important position of trust, that of a father for his children.”

The prosecution said the day had been like any other. Samuel took Caitlin and Aidan to a fast-food restaurant for dinner, watched a neighbour’s firework display, and ran them a bath. Shortly after 11pm, police received an emergency call from Samuel. He told police: “There's a problem with the children.”

In the aftermath, Samuel made a rambling call to the police shortly before 11pm that night. In a vain attempt to make the murders look like an accident, Samuel dumped the children’s naked bodies in the bath and rang 999, telling police: “There's a problem with the children.”

Post-mortem examinations suggested the time of death at some time between 2000 GMT and 2130 GMT, and the court heard that post-mortem examinations revealed the children had been suffocated by his hand some time between 8pm and 9.30pm, and their bodies had been placed in the bath shortly afterwards.

Samuel repeatedly refused to explain why he had murdered the children. He told police the children had been having a bath and remembered smoking a cigarette on the doorstep and hearing playful splashing upstairs. Defence counsel Stephen Riordan QC said Samuel told police he said “everything went wacko.” Mr Riordan added: “He can remember kneeling alongside the bath and falling against the wall. His jumper was wet and he took it off. The children were in the water,”.

Mr Riordan said Samuel was too scared to call police straight away. Mr Riordan also explained that Samuel said he drowned Aidan in the bath and when his sister became distressed he did the same to her, as related to him by a psychiatric nurse who dealt with Samuel while he was on remand in Liverpool.

The prosecution described the motive: Samuel had feared his partner of seven years was having an affair, admitted checking Sarah Graham’s mobile phone, and had found a text message from another man arranging to meet her at the concert in Manchester on the night of the killings. Gerrard Elias, QC, said: “Sarah Graham admitted the defendant had seen a text message which was from another man and following that his attitude towards her became more aggressive. The Crown suggests that the motive for the attack must have been this.”

In his statement, Sarah Graham said: “I feel so much pain and can't see a future. I wish I could go to sleep and not wake. Perry had destroyed my life. "No prison sentence will ever be long enough to excuse taking away the lives of my beautiful babies.”

Investigation

Police confirmed a 35-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of the murder of two children in Denbighshire and said he was the father. The children were found at a house in Bodelwyddan near Rhyl just before 2300 GMT on Sunday. The brother and sister were found by two female police officers after a 999 call was made. Samuel was alone in the house when they called.

The children were taken to Ysbyty Glan Clwyd where they were pronounced dead less than an hour later. Detective Chief Inspector Dave Jolly said: “We are keeping a completely open mind about the cause of the deaths and we are pursuing a number of lines of inquiry.” He added: “It would be completely wrong to speculate about the cause of death at this moment.” He described the children’s family as “extremely traumatised”.

The police tape cordoned off the house. Flowers and soft toys, including a Winnie the Pooh bear, were left by well-wishers. The police called on Samuel to “do the right thing” and explain what happened that night so Sarah could be no longer tormented by endlessly imagining, and re-imagining, what might have happened.

Senior investigating officer Det Supt John Chapman said: “This has been a harrowing case that has touched the hearts of all those involved in it,”

Arrest

Samuel was arrested at the terrace home he shared with the children’s mother, Sarah Graham, who was away at a pop concert at the time. He was questioned for three days but repeatedly refused to explain why he had murdered the children.

Trial

Samuel pleaded guilty to two counts of murder. The court was held at Mold Crown Court in North Wales. Judge John Rogers sentenced Samuel at Mold Crown Court.

Judge John Rogers said: “You took them one after the other and put your hand over the mouth and the nose, disregarding their desperate struggle to get air into their lungs. You left your hands there until life itself had left their bodies.”

He added: “You abused the most important position of trust, that of a father for his children. "I accept you have a mental history which may provide some explanation for your actions although I believe your motivation was simply malice towards these children's mother.”

Earlier at sentencing, Judge Rogers also said: “You suffocated them one after the other by placing your hand over their mouths and noses, disregarding the desperate strugglings each of them must have gone through in an attempt to take air into their lungs,”

He continued: “You held your hands there until life itself left their bodies. They were quite defenceless and you abused the most important position of trust, that of a father for his children. "Your motivation was simply malice, malice towards the children's mother.”

Defence counsel Stephen Riordan QC said: “The truth of what happened "remains in his (Samuel's) head”

He also told the court: "It's perfectly clear that this is a man who since 1998 has been in and out of psychiatric hospitals. "He has been diagnosed with bi-polar disorder, which is a serious mental illness treated by prescription drugs and which is more generally known as manic depression."

On his fear of disclosure in evidence, Mr Riordan said Samuel was likely to “unburden himself but not before then” when he underwent his next episode of manic depression.

Sentencing

Samuel was sentenced to life in prison (minimum 35 years) on March 8, 2007. The judge recommended he serve at least 35 years, meaning he would not be eligible for parole until he was 70.

Outcome

Samuel admitted murdering his two children in their bath and was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 35 years.

Aftermath

Sarah Graham issued a statement after sentencing saying no prison sentence would be long enough to excuse taking away the lives of her “beautiful babies” or to justify the “living nightmare that this man has put me and my family through”. She told the court she wished she could go to sleep and not wake, and she said she suffered regular nightmares and her pain would never go. She also said: “Even though we didn't have the perfect relationship, I thought that he loved me and the children and I never ever thought that he would kill his own children,”

She added: “My biggest fear throughout this whole nightmare is that the children suffered. "The police have told me as much as they know, but the only person who can say exactly what happened in my home on the evening of Bonfire Night last year is Perry.”

The family statement issued after the arrest said: “We cannot express just how much we loved our two little angels.”

The family also appealed to the media for breathing space in another statement: “Following last night's tragic and incomprehensible incident, we are appealing directly to the media that they respect our wishes and that we are allowed the breathing space we so desperately need to come to terms with this terrible life-changing situation in private so we can mourn in peace and with dignity.”

The children were pupils at Ysgol y Faenol school in Bodelwyddan. Head teacher Martin Edwards said: “Our whole school community has been deeply shocked and saddened at this tragic loss. "The two children were bright, popular and happy pupils and will be very sadly missed by their classmates and the staff at the school. Our thoughts and condolences are with the family at this time.”

Neighbour John Bairstow said: “This is a family-oriented area. You have second generation people on this street, who grew up here and now have families of their own. "it is terribly sad news, particularly as I'm sure this little boy and girl will have been well-known to the children and other families on this street.”

A serious case review involving all the authorities and agencies involved in the case and with the family began and was expected to report back later in 2007.

Mold Crown Court heard that Samuel had a history of mental illness and had been receiving different forms of mental health care since March 1998.

Other details

The judge recommended a minimum term of 35 years. Samuel had one previous conviction for burglary.

Det Supt John Chapman later described the case as “a harrowing case”.

The mayor of the town said: “They were children you always felt you wanted to give a hug to, because they were so loveable. And I know they were loved by all the family.”

Samuel was described by friends and family as a “model father”. He was also said to have tried to commit suicide when he and Sarah Graham temporarily separated, and they were reunited five months later in July.