It takes a strong stomach to confront the details of the way in which Claire Throssell’s two sons – Paul, nine, and Jack, 12 – were killed by their father in 2014 after he was granted access to the boys by the family court. The case was explored in grim detail in Rob Rinder’s admirable crime show. This was a man whom their sons feared, but a family court judge made the decision to allow Throssell’s ex-husband unsupervised access to the children for five hours a week. The children did not feel safe with him. As their mother said, ‘he saw our children as possessions’.

‘I defy any judge to see children crying and physically holding onto you, physically shaking, and saying they don’t want to see their dad,’ their mother said, ‘and see how they felt as a parent, having to say to them, “You’ve got to go.”’

The father bought the boys a new train set and while they were playing with it, barricaded the house from inside and set fire........

© The Spectator