Man found guilty of murdering wife and daughter

A 47-year-old man has been convicted of murdering his wife and daughter at their home in Great Waldingfield last year.

Peter Nash was found guilty of two counts of murder at Ipswich Crown Court today, Friday 12 May, following a four-week trial.

Nash's crimes were discovered on Thursday 8 September 2022, when at just after 9.55am police were called to reports of concerns for the safety of individuals at a property in Heath Estate.

Officers gained entry to the address and there was a strong smell of gas inside, so Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service were called before proceeding inside.

Firefighters entered the house and discovered 43-year-old Jillu Nash and 12-year-old Louise Nash deceased inside. Peter Nash was found lying on the bed next to Louise, still holding a knife which he refused to release and had to be disarmed by police officers with the use of a taser.

Peter Nash had sustained a number of stab wounds – which transpired to have been self-inflicted – and was taken to hospital under police arrest, where he remained for five weeks. He was charged with two counts of murder on Sunday 16 October and made his first court appearance the following day.

Home Office post-mortem examinations concluded that Jillu Nash had died as a result of compression of the neck and asphyxiation; and Louise Nash had died as a result of a stab wound to the abdomen.

Nash had pleaded not guilty to the charges of murder and his defence rested on his belief that he 'lawfully killed' his wife and daughter. His attempts to justify this were through his interpretation of common law, property and marriage vows.

During his evidence to the court, Nash said he had discovered photographs of another man in Jillu's possessions and when he confronted her about them, he strangled her for 5-10 minutes until she passed out. He then stuffed a t-shirt into her mouth.

Following this, he stated he sat with Jillu for an hour while he decided what to do next, before reaching the decision to kill himself and Louise. He believed he 'lawfully killed' Louise as she was his 'property' and he did it to protect her because he did not trust anyone else to look after her, as she had complex care needs due to being non-verbal and diagnosed as autistic.

He initially tried to fill the house with gas, but when he realised this wasn't having the desired effect, he then stabbed Louise and then stabbed himself a number of times, before they were discovered by the emergency services.

The jury took just over two hours to deliver two guilty verdicts for murder by unanimous decisions.

Nash has been remanded in custody pending a sentencing hearing at Ipswich Crown Court on Wednesday 17 May.