The partner of former EastEnders actor Sian Blake, who was found dead with her two sons, appeared in court today after being charged with their murder.
Arthur Simpson-Kent, 48, appeared in court via video link from Wandsworth prison and spoke only to confirm his name.
Simpson-Kent's defence, Jim Sturman QC, made no application for bail.
Judge Nicholas Hilliard QC remanded Simpson-Kent into custody until his plea hearing on 3 May, and he is likely to face trial at the Old Bailey on 4 October.
Simpson-Kent was arrested on suspicion of murder at Heathrow Airport after arriving in the UK on a flight from Ghana on the morning of Friday 12 February.
He was taken into custody at a west London police station and appeared at Westminster magistrates' court later that afternoon.
Blake, 43, and her two children, Zachary and Amon, aged 8 and 4 respectively, were reported missing on 16 December.
Sian Blake, 43 (left), and her two children, Amon, 4 (centre), and Zachary, 8 (right).
Their bodies were discovered on 5 January in the garden of the family's home in southeast London. A post mortem examination revealed that all three had died as a result of head and neck injuries.
Authorities believe that Simpson-Kent left the UK and arrived in Ghana on 19 December.
He was found near a beach resort in Busua and arrested by Ghanaian police officers on 9 January on behalf of Scotland Yard.
Police officers took three weeks to find the bodies of Blake and her two children in the family's garden after the missing person inquiry was launched.
The Met's handling of the case has been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.