Mum of three children found dead in house detained under Mental Health Act

01 March 2024 , 16:40

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Seven-year-old Fares, described as 'very intelligent' and curious, was found dead alongside his siblings at a house in Bristol

A 42-year-old woman who was arrested on suspicion of murder after three children were found dead in a house in Bristol has been sectioned under the Mental Health Act.

Fares, seven, Joury, three, and 9-month-old Mohammed Bash died tragically over the weekend, with police discovering their bodies after concerns were raised by a member of the public for their safety. Officers were called to the home in the Sea Mills area of the city in the early hours of Sunday morning after a welfare call, with a 42-year-old woman subsequently arrested on suspicion of murder.

The woman, named only as Jasmine and understood to be the children's mother, was kept under arrest in hospital, and police confirmed on Friday (March 1) that she had been detained under the Mental Health Act.

Avon and Somerset Police's Chief Inspector Vicks Hayward-Melen said: “We know the public are still trying to come to terms with this awful tragedy and the community remains together and united in their grief over the heartbreaking deaths of Fares, Joury and Mohammed.

“We continue to be incredibly thankful for the support and kindness that has been shown by the people of Sea Mills and beyond. Everyone affected by this tragedy remains in our thoughts and we continue to provide specialist support to the children’s next of kin.

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“We have promised throughout our investigation to provide updates and be transparent about any significant developments, to help everyone with understanding what happened, and we’ll continue to do so.”

Three-year-old Joury

Tributes have already been paid to the youngsters, with one neighbour describing them as "the most beautiful souls". Salwa Bashar, 32, said her two children would often play with the kids and were particularly close with Fares, who she said was "the most intelligent child I have ever met".

"He was courteous and always wanted to know how you were. He’d say to me - ‘How are you Salwa?’" the NHS worker said. "He was no ordinary child, and I always believed he was going to become an extraordinary adult, doing extraordinary things.

"It breaks my heart that he and his sister and little brother are no longer with us. They were such lovely children and they deserved to be protected by the authorities, who knew there were difficulties around them. What has happened just seems unbelievable. I cannot believe they are no longer with us."

Chief Inspector Vicks Heyward-Melen previously described the children's deaths as a "terrible and deeply distressing tragedy" as post-mortems got underway on Monday to further establish their causes of death, which the force has not released any details on.

“Our thoughts are very much with the children’s loved ones who are going through an horrendous ordeal," Chief Inspector Heyward-Melen said in a statement to the press. "We were first called by a member of the public who was concerned for the welfare of the occupants early on Sunday the 18 of February. Officers arrived at about 12.40am and found three children whose lives could not be saved.

“Forensic post-mortem examinations will now be carried out on the children to establish the cause of death and it’s important we don’t give further detail on this until the proper processes have been carried out. The post-mortem examinations are not likely to be completed until the middle to the end of this week at the earliest.

“Formal identification has not yet taken place, but we believe the victims are a boy aged seven, a girl of three and a 10-month-old boy. Their next of kin have been informed and are being given all the help and support they need by specialist family liaison officers. A 42-year-old woman was arrested at the scene and taken to hospital due to injuries she’d sustained. Her condition is not life-threatening, and she remains in police custody at this time.

“Uniformed officers from the Neighbourhood Policing team will be in the area in the coming days to provide reassurance and support to the local community, so please speak to us if you have any concerns or worries. It’s important to stress we are treating this as an isolated incident and we don’t believe there to be any ongoing risk to the wider community.

Chief Inspector Vicks Hayward-Melen speaking to the media near to the scene in Sea Mills, Bristol (PA)

“We’ve been humbled by the community response to this tragedy. At a time of great sadness and disbelief, we’ve seen spontaneous acts of care and support. Within hours of the incident occurring, a local church was opened up for people to gather and mourn. This is what being in a community is all about and we’d like to thank all those who continue to offer this important and selfless service.

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“The death of such young children is a great shock to the whole community and this incident has had a profound and deep impact on all of us in the police. We’ll be making sure all those involved in the response and the subsequent investigation are given any welfare support they may need.

“I know people will be eager to have answers, but the Major Crime Investigation Team are in the very early stages of what will be a highly sensitive, complex and thorough investigation, and it will take time to establish all the facts. We anticipate we’ll need to carry out further enquiries at the scene for the rest of the week and there will be some cordons in place while we do this."

Susie Beever