Stokes Family/PA ImagesAn inquest into the death of three family members has revealed a father killed his two sons and himself after his wife found out he’d spent money on prostitutes.
David Stokes, 43, and his two young children, Adam and Matthew, were discovered in their home on Welwyn Road, Hinckley, Leicestershire, on November 2, 2016.
This week, Mr Stokes’ wife, 47-year-old Sally, appeared at Rutland and North Leicestershire Coroner’s Court where she spoke about the horrific tragedy during an inquest.
PA ImagesMrs Stokes told the court she and her husband had been married since 2011, though they separated around three months before the deaths. The couple had struggled with marriage problems and Mrs Stokes said she had discovered Mr Stokes had made online searches for escorts and a date rape drug.
Mr Stokes had won £40,000 on the lottery, but didn’t tell his wife. Mrs Stokes only later found out he’d used the money to buy a car and to pay for sex workers.
The wife confronted her partner about his online searches on November 1, 2016, though she described the situation as ‘calm’. She left just after 6pm but returned to the house at around 9:15pm, when her husband proceeded to lock her inside.
The 47-year-old explained her husband hit her on the back of the head with a rolling pin and tried to smother her with a pillow. He told her 11-year-old Adam and five-year-old Matthew were ‘with someone’ as the situation unfolded.
PA ImagesIn reality, Mr Stokes had killed the two children and hidden them under a blanket on Matthew’s bed, where they were later discovered holding hands.
Mrs Stokes managed to escape her husband and run to the back garden, where she screamed for help, but her husband hit her head against a wall and dragged her back inside.
The inquest was told police were called, though it’s unclear who made the call, and there were regular phone calls between negotiators and Mr Stokes in which the husband claimed he had a gun.
Stokes FamilyAt around 2am, Mr Stokes cut communication with police and stabbed his wife.
Speaking at the inquest, as per the BBC, Mrs Stokes said:
I felt a bump in my back, felt the warmth of blood, then I realised he’d stabbed me.
The look on his face was like satisfaction. I’ll never forget it – as though he’d won.
In spite of her injuries, the wife managed to get out of the house to where police and paramedics were waiting. Mrs Stokes was taken to hospital and the house was stormed.
Officers found Mr Stokes with a knife in his chest and ambulance crews spent 20 minutes trying to revive him, but he died at the scene.
Stokes FamilyMrs Stokes was ruled out of the investigation and she was told the following day about her husband and sons. The children’s cause of their deaths is so far ‘unascertained’ but a pathologist said it could have been a result of drowning or pressure to the neck.
Dr Frances Hollingbury said ‘it is likely they were unconscious or already dead when they were positioned where they were found’.
The last time the boys are known to have been alive is at around 7pm on November 1, 2016, when Mr Stokes filmed a video of himself with them.
In court, Mrs Stokes said she felt police acted in the right way during the stand-off as, if they had ‘forced the situation’, she ‘wouldn’t be here’.
PA ImagesKevin Burdett, a retired police sergeant, also appeared at the hearing, where he read out a note Mr Stokes had addressed to his wife before his death. Mrs Stokes left the court before it was read aloud.
It read:
I’m so sorry for what I’ve done. Today it all came crashing down and it all had to end. We’ll be together again.
Sal, I’m so sorry for all the things I’ve done and hurt you. But this last week you have had me completely and totally in love with you.
You pushed too much. If you had left it, we could have been happy forever.
The inquest into the deaths is ongoing.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the 24-hour National Domestic Violence Helpline on 0808 2000 247. Do not suffer in silence.
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact Cruse Bereavement Care via their national helpline on 0808 808 1677.
Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.