Arthur Simpson-Kent 'admits killing former EastEnders actress Sian Blake and children'

He has yet to enter a formal plea

Sian Blake was last seen on 13 December (PA)

Sian Blake's partner, Arthur Simpson-Kent, admits killing the former EastEnders actress and their two children, his lawyer has said.

Mr Simpson-Kent is charged with murdering his 43-year-old girlfriend and their sons Zachary, eight, and four-year-old Amon in December last year.

The three bodies were found by police at the family home in Erith in the London borough of Bexley in January this year.

Ms Blake, who played Frankie Pierre in EastEnders in the mid-1990s, had not been seen since visiting family in east London with her sons several weeks before their bodies were discovered.

Sian Blake's children; Zachary,eight, and four-year-old Amon, whose bodies were also found (PA)

Mr Simpson-Kent's lawyer told the Old Bailey that the jury would be told his admission of guilt at his trial in October.

The 46-year-old had been spoken to by officers before Christmas after his family's disappearance. He fled to Ghana shortly after and was extradited back to Heathrow where he was arrested to face trial.

Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, the head of the Metropolitan Police, has faced questions over how Mr Simpson-Kent had been allowed to leave the country during the investigation and why it took 23 days to find their bodies in the back garden of their home.

The Met has referred the case to the Independent Police Complaints Commision over how the investigation was handled.

The 43-year-old former actress, who had retrained as a sign-language teacher, suffered from motor neurone disease. Some family members had said she intended to end her relationship with Mr Simpson-Kent, a hairdresser, around Christmas.

Mr Simpson-Kent is yet to enter a formal plea but is expected to do so on 29 July.

More details to follow...