Murder investigation: Investment banker Gary Clarence is flying back to the UK from South Africa after three of his four children were found dead at home (pictured here with his twin sons).
- Tania Clarence described as devoted mother who 'doted on her children'
- 42-year-old was arrested on suspicion of murder and remains in custody
- Police found bodies of Ben and Max, both 3, and Olivia, 4, in SW London
- All three children suffered from spinal muscular atrophy, friends reveal
- Gary Clarence, 43, had travelled to South Africa with their eldest daughter
Tania Clarence, 42, was last night described as a devoted mother who 'doted on her children'.
She was arrested after police discovered the lifeless bodies of three-year-olds Ben and Max and four-year-old Olivia at the family's £2million home in south-west London.
Friends said all three children suffered the degenerative condition spinal muscular atrophy - sometimes described as 'floppy baby syndrome' - and received specialist care around the clock.
Their father, investment banker Gary Clarence, 43, had travelled to the couple's native South Africa with their eldest daughter Taya - who was not disabled - to celebrate her eighth birthday.
Last night Mr Clarence was flying back from Johannesburg but Mr Clarence's brother Kevin said the family were too upset to discuss the deaths.
Mr Clarence, a trained lawyer, studied at Stellenbosch University and in Holland before joining Investec in 1999, two years after the couple married in South Africa.
He began working in its financial department, before moving to the US for 18 months and eventually becoming a director, responsible for international healthcare clients.
The couple had Taya in 2006. But while pregnant with the twins Mrs Clarence discovered that their second daughter Olivia had a degenerative genetic illness.
The twins, who were born prematurely in Lisbon in 2010, were soon discovered to have inherited the same illness.
All three children were left with severely limited development and doctors warned that Olivia was unlikely to survive to her teens.
The couple threw everything into providing for their children. Mrs Clarence, a talented graphic designer, gave up her career to look after them and the family renovated a seven-bedroom home in the commuter belt in New Malden.
They moved in last year after builders gutted the home and installed special features, including a lift and ramps, during a nine-month project.
The couple also employed a nanny and carers were regularly seen visiting the children at all hours of day and night.
New Malden councillor Ken Smith said Mrs Clarence had contacted him recently with concerns about an uneven pavement that was hindering her children's wheelchairs.
Spinal Muscular Atrophy: Children Had Rare DiseaseHe added: 'She absolutely doted on the children. When I spoke to the lady she was very, very concerned about the children and that they were looked after properly. This is a tragedy.'
Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a disease sometimes called 'floppy baby syndrome' that affects between 5,500 and 6,000 people in the UK.
It causes muscle weakness and progressive loss of movement as the nerve cells connecting the brain and spinal cord to the body's muscles break down over time.
Muscles used for activities such as crawling, walking, sitting up and moving the head become gradually weaker, but mental abilities remain unaffected.
In the most severe forms of SMA, types I and II, fatal respiratory problems often develop early on and it is the leading cause of genetic death in infants and toddlers.
Depending on its severity, children may need surgery, exercises and equipment to improve mobility and breathing. There is no cure.
SMA is caused by a faulty copy of a gene, which is activated when both parents carry it.
Around one in every 40 to 60 people carry the gene. It can be tested for during pregnancy, although the test can increase the risk of a miscarriage.
Joanna Mitchell, from the Spinal Muscular Atrophy Trust, said: 'There can be terrible pain and it can be challenging for parents to look after children with the condition.'
All three disabled children attended Bedelsford School, a highly respected school for the disabled in Kingston, where staff said they were 'deeply saddened' by the deaths.
Police discovered the bodies after they were called to the couple's three-storey Victorian mansion on Tuesday evening.
Family friends had dialled 999 after becoming concerned when they couldn't contact the family for more than 24 hours.
The three children were found dead in their upstairs bedrooms. Police suspect they may have been suffocated.
Mrs Clarence was taken to St George's Hospital, Tooting, south London, and arrested on suspicion of murder after treatment to minor wounds.
She remained in police custody last night.
Neighbours said two tearful women were standing in the street as police and ambulances arrived. Both were so upset they could barely speak.
Michele Bacchus, 38, who helped them, said: 'They were sobbing and very upset. I don't know if it was them that found the family. It was awful.'
Last night a family friend said: 'She had to cope with so much, she was a very loving mother.'
Shocked neighbours said it was a tragedy and called the family 'really, really lovely people'.
Retired nurse Joy Devis, 86, said the deaths came as a 'huge surprise and shock' and other neighbours said they had last seen the children playing in the front garden on Sunday 'larking about'.
They and other well-wishers created a poignant makeshift memorial to the children outside the house yesterday, leaving teddy bears, bouquets of flowers, pot plants and a child's skipping rope in the driveway - which was guarded by police officers.
Poignant: Plants, candles and teddies were left outside the house in New Malden yesterday as the community reacted to the deaths.
House Rebuilt To Meet Family's Every Need
Gary and Tania Clarence spent almost a year renovating their £2million home to make it suitable for their disabled children before moving in.
The couple bought the house in 2011 for £1,060,000 but it was derelict and needed extensive renovation.
They shelled out hundreds of thousands of pounds on the seven-bedroom property in New Malden, Surrey, stripping it back and rebuilding it almost from bare foundations.
When it was finished it included a state-of-the-art lift for their second daughter, Olivia.
The couple spent another £50,000 on a new driveway, removing a tree and fitting a sloping entrance to the front door that could be used by wheelchairs.
The property also boasted a 140ft south-facing garden for the children to play in and the fridge in the kitchen included a holder for wine glasses.
Neighbour June Dodd said they spent 'months and months' doing it up before moving in from their previous home in nearby Wimbledon, South London.
Ethel Winstanley, who lives opposite the couple, said she congratulated them on the house's 'transformation' last summer.
if he wasn't an investment banker, suspicions of that kind wouldn't enter the picture, but since he is.... they do.
Investec? Seems the death rage in financial circles is spanning the globe, either a return to sender or a pruning of the vines?
Or maybe this is just another sign of our stressful times?