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Julian Stevenson hangs himself in French jail | Julian Stevenson hangs himself in French jail |
(35 minutes later) | |
A Briton who was accused of killing his two children in France has hanged himself in a French prison, officials have told the BBC. | |
Julian Stevenson's daughter, five, and son, 10, were killed with a knife and found on 18 May at his Lyon flat. | |
The 47-year-old had been in custody in Lyon since his arrest in May. | |
The Lyon prosecutor said Mr Stevenson hanged himself on Monday morning in a sports hall for inmates held in solitary confinement. | |
A post-mortem examination will be held later. | |
A UK Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are aware of the death of a British national in detention in France on 30 December. We are providing consular assistance to the family." | |
'Roller skates' | |
Mr Stevenson had been in a bitter dispute with his French wife, from whom he was divorced, over custody rights, said BBC Paris correspondent High Schofield. | |
Our correspondent said the day that he saw the children was the first time in three years he had been allowed access to them without another person being present. | |
News agency AFP said that CCTV footage from earlier in the day had shown him buying them sweets and his son and daughter holding pink balloons. | |
He was then accused of killing the two children with a knife at his flat. | |
Neighbours said at the time that he then fled on roller skates. | |
The children's mother raised the alarm later that day after arriving at the home the family used to share. | |
Mr Stevenson was arrested later that day in the centre of Lyon, and later charged over the deaths. | |
He was believed to have lived in France for some time and was unemployed. |
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