The partner of former EastEnders actor Sian Blake has admitted killing her and their two sons, a court heard on Friday.
Arthur Simpson-Kent, 48, a hairdresser and model originally from Ghana, pleaded guilty to three counts of murder at the Old Bailey on Friday morning in an unexpected hearing, appearing via video link from Belmarsh prison.
Simpson-Kent fled to Ghana after Blake, 43, and her two sons, Amon, 4, and Zachary, 8, went missing in December. As police led a manhunt for Simpson-Kent, their bodies were found buried in the garden at the family's home in Erith, southeast London. A postmortem revealed they died from head and neck injuries.
Simpson-Kent was arrested by Ghanian police on 9 January before being extradited to the UK. The BBC reported that officers found him on a beach cutting open a coconut.
He had been due to stand trial in October but will instead be sentenced that month.
Blake's sister, Ava, told reporters the family are relieved at the guilty plea.
Sian Blake's sister Ava says the family are "relieved" at Simpson Kent's guilty pleas. Sentencing deferred to October.
Blake, who suffered from motor neurone disease, appeared in 56 episodes of Eastenders between 1996 and 1997.