Karate expert Brian Philcox killed his children after Fathers' Day treat

An estranged husband killed his two young children and himself on a lonely Welsh hillside after taking them on an outing to mark Father’s Day. Brian Philcox, who had been in contact with the pressure group Fathers4Justice, telephoned his wife beforehand to tell her: “I have left you a present — I’ll make the papers, just you wait.”

Mr Philcox, 53, a security guard and karate instructor who was vice-chairman of Karate England, was involved in an acrimonious split and had told friends that he feared losing access to Amy, 7, and Owen, 3, as well as the life savings that he had spent on the family home in Runcorn, Cheshire.