Former EastEnders star Sian Blake and her two young sons, Zachary, 8, and Amon, 4, were brutally murdered with an axe by her partner Arthur Simpson Kent in December 2015. The killer, who claimed he 'snapped', buried the bodies in shallow graves in the garden of their family home in Erith, South-East London. He then fled to Ghana before being extradited and sentenced to a whole life order.
Background and Diagnosis
Sian Blake, 43, played soul singer Frankie Pierre in 56 episodes of EastEnders between 1996 and 1997. Earlier in December 2015, she had been diagnosed with motor neurone disease, a terminal condition that had first shown symptoms nearly two years prior. Following her acting career, she worked as a sign language interpreter and voiceover artist.
After her diagnosis, Blake visited her mother in Leyton, East London, and asked if she and her sons could move back in with her. She was considering selling her home partly to fund care and partly due to her 'unhealthy' relationship with her 'controlling' partner, Arthur Simpson Kent, a part-time drug dealer. She was reportedly preparing to leave him.
The Murders
When Blake returned home the day after seeing her mother, Kent, born in Ghana, attacked her with a small axe kept in the kitchen. According to his later confession, he hit her repeatedly on the back of the head as she bent over looking at the floor. Due to her motor neurone disease, which weakens arms and hands, she was powerless to defend herself. He then used the same axe to kill his two sons.
Mr Justice Singh, who presided over the case, stated in sentencing remarks: 'The manner in which the Defendant killed his victims in this case was truly horrific. ... It is consistent with his having killed each of his victims in turn, first Sian Blake and then each of the boys. ... with repeated blows with a blunt instrument, using severe force, and then by using a bladed weapon.'
Cover-Up and Escape
Kent wrapped the three bodies in plastic, buried them in shallow graves in the garden, and thoroughly cleaned the house, even partially painting it to hide blood evidence. He took Blake's mobile phone and sent messages to her relatives impersonating her, claiming she would be away for two weeks. When police visited, he lied that she had gone to Cambridge to see a friend.
After police questioning, Kent fled in Blake's car, abandoned it in East London, and attempted to board a flight. He eventually reached Ghana on 19 December 2015. Witnesses reported he was partying on New Year's Eve, taking two women to breakfast. He even tried to bribe someone who recognised him from news coverage with cash and an iPad.
Apprehension and Sentencing
Police arrested Kent on 9 January 2016. He claimed it was a 'mercy killing' consented to by Blake, who believed she had 'no meaningful life' due to her illness. He was extradited to the UK and pleaded guilty to three counts of murder. Former Metropolitan Police detective Steve Keogh said: 'I think for me it was probably one of the lowest points of my career. ... When we got that phone call it was horrible to know that he had done that to them. And then when the post-mortems happen, and you see the way in which they were killed, and that the last thing they would've seen is their dad brutally attacking them in the way he did was awful.'
Kent was sentenced to a whole life order. Blake's mother called him an 'evil monster', saying: 'It's difficult to put into words how much we have suffered as a result of their murder and how we will continue to suffer for the rest of our lives. We are all living a life sentence, we are all living a nightmare. I would give my life for another moment with my daughter.'
