The hairdresser partner of former EastEnders actress Sian Blake has today admitted murdering her and their two children before fleeing Britain for Ghana.

Arthur Simpson-Kent, 49, inflicted fatal head and neck injuries on Sian, 43, Zachary, eight, and Amon, four, before burying them in shallow graves in their back garden in south-east London.

The bodies of Ms Blake, who suffered from motor neurone disease, and her children were only discovered three weeks later on January 5 this year, when their killer was already hiding in Africa.

Simpson-Kent was brought back to the UK in February and Simpson-Kent was due to stand trial later this year before his guilty pleas.

Her mother and sister attended court to witness Simpson-Kent admit his crimes, and her sister Ava smiled and said afterwards the family were ‘really relieved’.

Simpson-Kent spoke only to say the word ‘guilty’ as each of three murder charges was put to him.

Mark Heywood QC, prosecuting, said: ‘That has this additional advantage that, from the Crown’s perspective, that gives more than ample time for the members of the family of the deceased to attend.

Members of the victim’s family sat in the well of the court as bearded Simpson-Kent spoke to confirm his name before pleading guilty to murdering his family between December 12 last year and January 3 2016.

He will be sentenced on October 4 by Mr Justice Singh.

At an earlier hearing, his barrister Jim Sturman QC said: ‘He admits the killings. There is no objection to that being reported.’

Ms Blake starred in 56 episodes of Eastenders as the singer Frankie Pierre and also appeared in The Bill, Casualty and Doctors before becoming a sign language teacher.

The Met Police reported itself to the IPCC over the handling of the case.

It is believed the family were killed shortly after they were last seen alive on December 13 2015.

Three days later the NSPCC passed on concerns about the children to the police but officers left after speaking to Simpson-Kent at the house in Pembroke Road, Erith.

Simpson-Kent travelled to Glasgow by coach before flying to Ghana via Amsterdam on 18 December.

Murder detectives were not called in to help with the investigation until Ms Blake’s Renault Scenic was found in Calvert Road, Bethnal Green, on January 3 this year.

Sniffer dogs pointed out areas in the garden and on January 5 three bodies were discovered during excavation of the garden.

A post mortem found they died of head and neck injuries.

Simpson-Kent was arrested by Ghanaian authorities in the coastal town of Butre on 9 January after locals recognised him from social media.

He agreed to be extradited on 26 January and on 12 February he was returned to the UK to be arrested by detectives at Heathrow Airport and charged with three counts of murder.

Simpson-Kent, of Erith, southeast London, was remanded in custody.

Source Daily Mail UK