Woman arrested over deaths of three children detained under Mental Health Act

By Claire Hayhurst, Reporter1st March 2024News EnglandBristol, Domestic Abuse / Violence, Mental Health, News England

A woman arrested on suspicion of murdering three children in Bristol has been detained under the Mental Health Act.

Avon and Somerset Police said the 42-year-old was taken to hospital for injuries that were not life-threatening after being arrested at a house in Blaise Walk in the Sea Mills area in the early hours of February 18.

The woman, who is still being treated for those injuries, was assessed by medical professionals on Wednesday and a decision was made to detain her under the Mental Health Act.

Detectives are continuing their investigation into the deaths of the three young children – Fares Bash, aged seven, Joury Bash, aged three, and Mohammed Bash, aged nine months old, who were found dead at the property.

Forensic post-mortem examinations were carried out on the siblings last week and found they died from knife injuries.

Chief Inspector Vicks Hayward-Melen (pictured), of Avon and Somerset Police, 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.

“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.”

Ms Hayward-Melen previously told reporters that the deaths were believed to have happened during an isolated incident, with no risk to the wider community.

Last week, hundreds of people attended a vigil in memory of the three children.

Following the incident, Avon and Somerset Police referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) over prior contact but the watchdog said no investigation was required.

An IOPC spokesperson previously said: “This is because the police do not appear to have been the primary agency involved with the family and there was no police contact in the 10 days prior to the deaths.

“We have asked the force to re-refer the matter should any further information come to light during any subsequent multi-agency reviews.”