Samantha Ford's family demand wider investigation into lead-up to Margate twins' deaths
15:14, 11 September 2019
updated: 15:20, 11 September 2019
The family of a mother who killed her twin babies has demanded a wider investigation be carried out into her care in the lead-up to their deaths.
Samantha Ford was jailed for 10 years last month for killing 23-month-old tots Chloe and Jake Ford at their home in Margate on Boxing Day last year.
An inquest was due to be held this week, but instead assistant coroner James Dillon held a pre-inquest review in which he called for statements from Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership, GPs from Charing Surgery, where Ford was a patient, as well as her family and Mr Ford.
The representation was made in relation to claims of repeated discussions with her GP surgery and calls to other mental health services before she killed her children.
The local child safeguarding board and NHS111 have also been invited to make submissions.
During criminal proceedings, Ford was described as "materialistic and controlling" and it was said she drowned her twins to get back at her ex-husband after becoming obsessed with losing her "perfect life" in Qatar
Steven Ford, who attended the pre-inquest hearing, says he only found out on Monday there would be no full inquest today.
"I was called by the police to tell me this isn't going to be the inquest we were expecting because Samantha's family have approached the solicitor to make representation which means this won't be a straightforward inquest in which cause of death is established and is concluded," he said.
"Now what seems to be happening is her family cannot accept what she's done and is therefore challenging what should be a standard procedure to externalise the blame for what she's done and try to blame another entity, which would in this case be the mental health services.
"In my view this is completely wrong."
Mr Ford says the full inquest may not now happen until after the year anniversary of his children's deaths and says the whole case, including the refusal to review her sentence in the Court of Appeal, has been handled badly.
