A MOTHER accused of murdering her two young children at home will go on trial.

Veronique John, 49, was arrested and quizzed by police last year after they were called to her home in Staffordshire.

Ethan John, 11, and Elizabeth John, 7, were both found unresponsive and with significant injuries on Flax Street, Stoke-on-Trent on 11 June. They both were pronounced dead at the scene.

The school of both Ethan and Elizabeth heart-wrenching tributes to both children at the time of their deaths.

The double murder suspect was remanded in custody at Stafford Crown Court and will appear at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court from June 24. The trial is expected to last four weeks. 

Speaking at the time of John’s arrest, Superintendent Mark Ward, who oversees local policing in Stoke-on-Trent, said: “Our thoughts are very much with the friends and family of these two children who tragically lost their lives on Sunday.

“It’s an incredibly sad case and I know how raw and painful this is for those close to the children, their school friends, and the wider local community.

“We understand that the woman arrested is known to the children and we do not believe there to be any wider threat to the public following this isolated incident.

“Our priority focus is to establish what happened in this tragic case and to continue working alongside our partners to deter serious violence in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire.”

A further pre-trial hearing has been scheduled for March 26.