First picture of Veronique John who killed her two children and stabbed her husband

This is the first picture of Veronique John, 50, of Flax Street, Stoke-on-Trent who was found by a jury to have killed her two young children in knife attacks described by a judge as “almost too horrific to comprehend.”

John killed Ethan and Elizabeth at their home in June 2023 before going on to attack her husband, Nathan, at the car wash where he worked.

Elizabeth, 7, was pronounced dead at her home having suffered a fractured skull and knife wounds, while the 50-year-old’s son, Ethan, 11, suffered more than 20 sharp force injuries.

The wounds to John’s son were “almost as if” she was trying to decapitate him, the judge said.

John was found to have carried out the attacks during a "trial of the facts" as she was deemed unfit to stand trial due to mental illness.

She has been diagnosed with complex post-traumatic stress disorder as well as personality and depressive disorders.

She has been given an indefinite hospital order for the "frenzied and heinous" attacks.

The court heard that she killed the children to avoid her husband having them.

Mr Justice Choudhury told John: “You claim that you are not a monster… but your acts were either those of a monster or someone who has lost all capacity to reason.

“It’s clear that by the time of the trial you were not fit to plead. It has been conclusively determined that you did kill your own children and make an attempt to kill Nathan.”

In a victim impact statement read to the court by prosecutor Peter Grives-Smith, Mr John, who was stabbed shortly after his children were attacked, said his wife had “viciously and brutally” taken their lives.

Mr John said: “On June the 11th my whole world was turned upside down. I lost the two most important and precious persons in my life at once.”

Ethan and Elizabeth had “instantaneously and undeservedly” lost their lives, Mr John said, adding that it was horrific that one of the siblings may have witnessed the other being “put to death in a beastly manner”.

Detective Chief Inspector Cheryl Hannan, from Staffordshire Police said: “This case was distressing for all involved, it was traumatic for the local community and has left so many people devastated by what happened.

“It’s not lost on me nor any of the officers that were involved in this investigation the lasting effect it will have on the many people that knew Ethan and Elizabeth, and the fond memories they have of them.

“My thoughts remain with their father, family and friends at such a tragic time both here and in other parts of the world.

“I’d also like to thank everyone from the local community who pulled together in such desperate times to help us investigate what happened and to provide as much support as possible for those affected.”

What is a Trial of the Facts?

Staffordshire Police say the difference between a trial-of-facts and a criminal trial is that a jury does not need to decide if the person is guilty or not guilty, nor do they consider the mental state of the person involved.

Instead, they are only asked to decide if the person involved committed the acts they have been charged with.

If the subject was deemed to be fit to plead in the future, a trial would then be called.

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