Father drowned two-year-old son

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/england/7651718.stm

Version 0 of 1.

A father drowned his son at sea so he would not have to endure "the torture and unhappiness of coming from a broken home", a second inquest has heard.

Verdicts of suicide and unlawful death were recorded on Alan Watkins, 50, and his two-year-old son, Arun, from Southwark, south London.

They died off Littlehampton, West Sussex, in June 2007.

The verdicts on the pair replace those of accidental death recorded at an inquest last year.

West Sussex Coroner Penny Schofield appealed to the High Court in August to have the original verdicts quashed.

He won't suffer any pain, you know that about me, and he will at least be happy Alan Watkins

Their bodies were found in the sea two days apart after what was thought to have possibly been a dinghy tragedy.

Arun's body was found without a lifejacket or armbands.

Post-mortem examinations found Mr Watkins and Arun died from drowning and toxicology tests found no signs of illegal drugs in either of them, as well as no significant injuries.

At the second inquest, heard at Worthing Town Hall on Friday, fresh evidence of a suicide note written by Mr Watkins was presented.

It was discovered on a USB memory stick that his wife, Sheena, found as she cleared the home they had shared to make way for building work in January.

The inquest heard that the couple had been having marriage problems for the two months leading up to the deaths and Mrs Watkins had filed for divorce even though her husband wanted them to stay together.

'Poor and disturbed life'

In the letter, he expressed his wish to end his own life as well as that of Arun's in order to save his son from the "poor and disturbed life" he would have without him.

"Whilst I know what I'm doing is wrong, it honestly but sadly feels like the best option for Arun and for me and I always said I would keep Arun's best interests at heart," he said.

"My taking my own life would have left Arun to face a very poor and disturbed life.

"At least this way he had two very happy years and doesn't have to go through the torture and unhappiness of coming from a broken home."

He added: "He won't suffer any pain, you know that about me, and he will at least be happy."

A statement read out outside the court on behalf of Mrs Watkins said: "There are no words that could possibly express the deep sorrow, incomprehension and anger that permeates through everyone that knew our darling Arun, who was so cruelly taken from this world.

"I condemn the callous betrayal of a trusting child and loving son. There will be no forgiving or forgetting, how could there be?"