London, Apr 5 (IANS): A 52-year-old man from Kerala admitted on Wednesday to killing his Indian wife and two children, aged six and four, in the UK last year, and will be sentenced on July 3, 2023, police said.

Saju Chelavalel, of Petherton Court, Kettering, pleaded guilty at Northampton Crown Court to three counts of murder of his wife Anju Asok, 35, a staff nurse at Kettering General Hospital, and her two children Jeeva and Janvi Saju.

The three died on December 15, 2022, when emergency services were called to Petherton Court to reports that they had suffered serious injuries.

Forensic post-mortem examinations, which took place at Leicester Royal Infirmary following their deaths, concluded that all three died as a result of asphyxiation.

Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Inspector Simon Barnes, said: "This was an absolutely tragic case and there are no words to articulate the devastation Saju Chelavalel caused when he chose to end the lives of Anju, Jeeva and Janvi.

"I am pleased that he has pleaded guilty and spared Anju's family and friends the pain of a trial. He will have to live with what he has done forever and I hope one day, he truly comprehends the pain his actions have caused," Barnes said in a statement released by Northamptonshire Police.

Saju, along with his children, had joined his wife in the UK last year. A driver by profession, he was frustrated after failing to get a job, IANS reported earlier. The couple used to quarrel over financial issues which took a turn for the worse last year, and ended in him killing the three.