Kettering triple murder: police name man charged with murders of Anju Asok and her children

Detectives have charged a 52-year-old man with the murders of a mother and her two young children in Kettering.

Nottinghamshire Police had arrested Saju Chelavalel after officers were called to his address in Petherton Court on Thursday(15 December) and found Anju Asok, 35, Jeeva Saju, six, and Janvi Saju, four, with serious injuries. The mother and two children died a short time later.

Forensic post-mortem examinations at Leicester Royal Infirmary determined all three died as a result of asphyxiation. Mr Chelavalel will appear at Northampton Magistrates’ Court on Monday (19 December).

Officers were called to Petherton Court at around 11.15am on Thursday where they found the woman and a boy and girl, understood to be aged six and four respectively, with serious injuries. The woman died at the scene and the two children died later in hospital.

Northamptonshire Police added officers are not currently seeking anyone else over the incident. Here is all we know so far:

What have police said about the charges?

Senior investigating officer, Detective Inspector Simon Barnes, said: “Our thoughts continue to be with the family of Anju, Jeeva and Janvi, who we are determined to seek justice for. Incidents of this nature are incredibly distressing, and I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who responded to the 999 call on Thursday, or has been involved with the subsequent investigation, for the professionalism and respect they have shown.

“I also want to thank the local community as we know how upsetting it is for an incident of this nature to take place. We will continue to have members of our Neighbourhood Policing Team on patrol in the area and I urge anyone with any concerns to please speak to them.”

Anyone with information should contact the force on 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

Tributes paid to the victims

Deborah Needham, chief executive of Kettering General Hospital, where the one of the , paid tribute to Ms Asok in a statement.

She said: “Yesterday we received the extremely upsetting news that one of our colleagues had died in circumstances being investigated by Northamptonshire Police. Anju Asok was an internationally-trained nurse who joined our KGH family in 2021 and predominantly worked on Barnwell B – one of our orthopaedic wards.

“She was a committed and compassionate staff nurse, who was loved and respected by her dear friends and colleagues. All our thoughts are with her friends and family as they come to terms with this sudden loss.”

How have residents reacted to the triple murder?

Speaking a day after the fatalities, business manager Pierino Geranio, who runs his uncle’s barber shop near to the cul-de-sac where the incident happened, said: “You speak to people about it and they just can’t believe it. I come here every day to work and you never expect anything like this – it’s so tragic. It’s totally terrible, beyond comprehension.”

Describing what he saw on Thursday, Mr Geranio said: “There was just a lot of police presence, a lot of ambulances. But I never thought it would be this. It’s just so sad for the family and everybody involved.”

Another local resident, who asked not to be named, said: “Apparently the family have not been there long. It’s terrible to hear about anything like this anywhere, but when there’s children involved it’s beyond words.”

For the latest reporting on this incident, National World’s sister title Northants Telegraph will be providing local reaction and coverage.