By Adela Whittingham

A "materialistic" mum drowned her "miracle" IVF twins in the bath after her husband left her, a court heard today.

Samantha Ford, 38, who drowned 23-month-old twins Jake and Chloe in the bath at their Margate home on Boxing Day last year, did not want to leave the couple's lavish lifestyle in Qatar - and was 'emotionally controlling', the Old Bailey was told.

The court heard Ford had sent a message on Christmas Day, telling someone: "I just need to end. I just need something to strike him to make him know what he's doing".

Hours after killing her children she drove into the back of a lorry without wearing a seatbelt and told officers: "Just let me die" and "I killed my babies. I would never hurt them, they are my miracle babies."

She added: "This is all a dream. I should have gone to the hospital sooner. He's messing with my head."

Ford previously admitted two counts of manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility and is due to be sentenced at the Old Bailey this afternoon.

The court heard in the weeks leading up to last Christmas, Ford's health had 'deteriorated' and she had Google searched methods of suicide and murder.

An examination of her phone revealed she had searched 'how long does it take to drown someone' less than two hours before the children were killed, and days before had searched 'mum drowns her two kids and then commits suicide'.

The court heard Ford married her husband Steven in 2008 and the couple moved to Qatar where they enjoyed an 'affluent' and 'lavish' lifestyle.

She became pregnant with twins after IVF treatment, giving birth to Jake and Chloe in 2017.

In 2018, the family moved back to the UK to a house in Charing, near Ashford, the court heard.

One message to Steven said: "Why do you choose a job in London over living in an amazing country with our children. Now our children are going to live a miserable life."

Ed Brown QC, prosecuting, said: "We suggest there is evidence she was a materialistic person in the sense she resented losing her good lifestyle in Qatar, that she had been searching the internet and in particular about killing herself and her children."

Mr Brown told the court: "This is a tragic and in some respects complex case.

"On the night of December 26 last year the defendant killed her own children Jake and Chloe Ford.

"They were aged 23 months and she killed them it would appear by drowning them in the bath in the family home in Castle Drive, Margate.

"There had been a significant road traffic accident in the early hours of December 27 when a driver of a lorry heading north on the A299 saw the defendant's car approaching at speed behind it.

"The car, a Ford Galaxy, struck the rear of a lorry. The car veered into the central reservation and then went across both lanes and then crashed through some bushes coming to a halt.

"Officers found this defendant in the driver's seat of the car, but slumped over towards the passenger side.

"She was heard to say 'I was going to jump off a cliff but it was too dark'.

"They forced entry to her address and when they went upstairs they found the children in the bedroom. There was no signs of life. There were signs of rigor mortis.

"On the kitchen table officers found a note written by the defendant which read 'please forgive my crazy mind'."

The court heard Ford's 'downturn in mental health' appeared to be triggered when her husband left her last November.

The prosecutor said statements had been written by family members describing the couple's marriage.

He said: "They spoke about her controlling nature and how she was very meticulous and how she was often quite forceful with Steven."

After the separation she moved into the house in Castle Drive, Margate, with the twins.

The court heard she contacted her ex-partner frequently asking him to come back to her and he had blocked her telephone number on various occasions because she would repeatedly call him.

Mr Brown said: "It was clear she was very upset the relationship had broken down and she clearly didn't like the idea of being a single mother.

"The family had been in contact with the health services trying to get help for her.

"Sam's mother, Collette, describes her as having been in a bad way following the separation. Her mental health had deteriorated."

Jake and Chloe spent Christmas with their dad after Ford's family said she was not well enough to look after them over the holiday.

They were returned to Ford on Boxing Day at noon, and the court heard her parents Collette and Tony stayed with her until 6.30pm.

Some of the grisly Google searches about how long it took to drown a person were conducted during those hours, the court heard, and may have been conducted while her parents went to the supermarket.

She is said to have Googled 'How long to take to drown someone' and 'how long does it actually take to die from drowning'.

Almost as soon as her parents left she started filling the bath with water, the court was told.

Mr Brown said: "On the night of Christmas Day, Samantha's sister describes how she had had a conversation with her sister and she spoke constantly about her and Steve getting back together and how next year they would spend Christmas at the house.

"After Steve dropped the children back on Boxing Day, Tony and Collette, the grandparents, stayed with Samantha until almost 6.30pm.

"They left saying they would be back the next morning. It's obvious from all I have just related that Samantha was not in fact without support from her family.

"Later that night at around 10.15pm the defendant's brother James drove past her house and noticed that the lights were on but her car was not there. He telephoned his mother. When Tony heard that he had a horrible sinking feeling that something was up."

It was said Ford's mother tried to call her just after 11pm, and her daughter said she was back at the old family home in Charing.

The prosecutor said: "She told her she had the children with her. That was a lie because by this time the children were lying dead in the house in Castle Drive.

"Cameras picked up the movements of the defendant after she had left her house.

"The killing of the children must have occurred in the window of time between her parents leaving and her leaving the house which was at 6.52pm.

"In one of the psychiatrist reports, Samantha told the psychiatrist she began filling the bath almost as soon as her parents had left.

"Following the death of the children the defendant drove from the address and ultimately drove down to Beachy Head arriving at around 9pm.

"It also appears she had been there on December 24. She remained in that area for about three hours. She then drove back up towards her house.

"It looks as if she was in the Charing area at about 2.15am. And then the accident or the crash happened at 2.45am."

The sentencing hearing continues.

To read more of our in depth coverage of all of the major trials coming out of crown and magistrates' courts across the county, click here.

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