Family died from head wounds after alleged murder

A mother and her two children, who are believed to have been murdered by their father, died from head injuries, an inquest has heard.

Nothabo Zandile Tshuma, 42, and her daughters Natalie, 15, and Nala, five, were found dead by police in a house in Great Denham, near Bedford, on 7 July.

Coroner Emma Whitting opened and adjourned an inquest into their deaths at a hearing in Ampthill, Bedfordshire, on Tuesday.

Ndodana Mkhanyisi Tshuma, 45, who is Nothabo's husband, was arrested in South Africa earlier this month and UK prosecutors have authorised murder charges against him.

Statements from the coroner's officers revealed the mother died from "head injuries" while the children's cause of death was listed as "blunt force head injuries".

The inquest was adjourned to a date to be determined.

Sam Silk, from the coroner's office, said a cousin of Nothabo contacted Bedfordshire Police on 6 July after becoming concerned for the family's welfare.

The cousin told officers she would normally speak to the mother every day, but had not heard from her for several days.

Inquiries found the children had not attended school that day, and initial welfare checks by police at an associated address found it unoccupied.

Officers went to the family home on Carnoustie Drive in the early hours of 7 July, where the bodies were discovered.

Meanwhile, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has begun an investigation into the "contact" officers had with the children and their mother before their deaths.

A "mandatory referral" was made by Bedfordshire Police to the IOPC on 7 July, a spokesperson for the watchdog said.

"We also received a voluntary conduct referral concerning a police constable on 8 July," they continued.

Ndodana Mkhanyisi Tshuma was arrested on an unlicenced firearms charge in Johannesburg on 10 July, and later appeared in court accused of illegally possessing firearms.

South African courts will decide whether a British extradition request meets the legal requirements for his transfer back to the UK.

Prosecutors in England have authorised the three murder charges.

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