Lyn McAuliffe describes Amy and Owen Philcox’s killer as evil and cold blooded

Feb 26 2009 by Adrian Short, Runcorn and Widnes Weekly News

THE EX-WIFE of a karate champion who killed her children with exhaust fumes said she will never forgive him.

John Gittins, acting North Wales central coroner, heard Amy Philcox, seven, and her brother Owen, three, had been given chloroform and temazepam before being driven to a lane in the North Wales beauty spot of Maenan, near Llanwrst, where they were killed by carbon monoxide poisoning.

Iolo Griffiths, a passer-by, found Brian Philcox, 52, dead in the front seat and the two youngsters sat next to each other “unconscious” on the back seat.

Philcox had fed a pipe from the exhaust into the Land Rover.

Mr Gittins recorded a verdict that Philcox had committed suicide and had unlawfully killed Amy and Owen on Sunday, June 15, last year.

Lyn McAuliffe, Philcox’s wife at the time, revealed that she had started divorce proceedings when he had access to the children two days earlier.

She told the inquest their relationship had deteriorated after they married in 2000.

Philcox regularly intimidated Ryan, her son from a previous relationship, and had even threatened to kill him.

She said: “It was bad from the word go and just got worse as time went on.

“Brian was constantly on at him when he was younger, stopping him going out with his friends, and would inspect the bathroom to see if Ryan had spilt toothpaste and he’d check his bedroom.”

In a statement read after the inquest by her sister, Geraldine Craven, Ms McAuliffe commented: “Some people have mentioned that maybe some day, I or we as a family, will forgive Brian.

“I will never forgive him for taking our beautiful Amy and Owen.

“He had no right to take their lives. He was an evil man whose attempts to use home-made bombs clearly show that all his acts were that of a cold-blooded, premeditated killer.”

The coroner expressed his sympathy.

He said: “When Brian Philcox took Amy and Owen from you he thought they would be lost to you forever – but he failed.

“The short lives they had were imprinted on your heart and they will endure with you.

“They will be part of you every single moment of every single day.”