Father 'killed his three young children with a hunting knife after wife told him she was leaving him for her Open University lecturer'

A father killed his three children and then jumped from a 60ft disused quarry after his wife said she was leaving him for an Open University lecturer, an inquest has heard today.
The bodies of Ceri Fuller, 35, his son Samuel, 12, and daughters Rebecca, eight, and Charlotte, seven, were discovered at Poles Coppice, Pontesbury Hill, Shropshire, on July 16 last year.
All the children suffered stab wounds to their necks, believed to have been inflicted by a hunting knife found nearby.
Fuller's fingerprint was found on the bloodstained Bowie-type knife that was recovered from the scene.

Ceri Fuller, pictured on his wedding day to Ruth, was found dead at the foot of the 60ft cliff and his children (l - r) Rebecca, eight, Charlotte, seven and Sam, 12, suffered stab wounds to their necks, an inquest heard

Fuller's fingerprint was found on a hunting knife near the children's bodies

The hearing was told Fuller turned when wife Ruth, 34, told him their marriage was over and she was leaving him for the lecturer.
However, there is no suggestion they were in a relationship.
Paper mill worker Fuller and his children were reported missing on July 12 last year when he did not show up at work and they did not attend school.
Their bodies were found at the quarry - 75 miles from the family home - four days later.
During harrowing evidence at Edinburgh House, Shropshire, today, pathologist Dr Alexander Kolar said all three children suffered a 'large incised wound' to the throat.
Samuel, Dr Kolar said, died from the effects of the single wound to his neck, while his sisters both died from multiple stab injuries, including wounds to the chest.
He confirmed that Samuel and Rebecca had also suffered 'defensive' injuries to their hands.
Rebecca had been stabbed five times in the chest, and her sister had suffered four chest wounds, the inquest was told.
Days before their deaths Ruth Fuller had written on an online blog about having a 'completely bonkers' mid-life crisis after developing feelings for  lecturer Mark Lindley-Highfield.
Mrs Fuller had begun a humanities course in January last year including sessions with Mr Lindley-Highfield at Gloucester University at Cheltenham College.
On the day Fuller took the children, Mrs Fuller was rushed to hospital after attempting to kill herself.
Her sister Joanne Ballard told the hearing that Mr Fuller was a possessive husband.
Deputy coroner for Mid-Shropshire Andrew Barkley asked Joanne if Fuller had been 'unnaturally possessive' towards his wife.

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She said: 'In my opinion yes, it was more possessive than I would be comfortable with in a relationship.
'It seemed to me that he seemed uncomfortable with Ruth wanting anything that wasn't being a mum.'
When the three children and Mr Fuller were originally reported missing, police said not to worry as they were with their father.
But later that evening a GP assessed Mrs Fuller, who was in an 'edgy' state and told them to take her to hospital.

The children were found dead at a disused quarry in Poles Coppice and Fuller's Land Rover was parked nearby

Ceri Fuller, 35, was found at the bottom of the 60ft cliff in Pontesbury Hill, Shropshire, in July last year

Ms Ballard told the hearing: 'Ceri's phone was still at home and so was Sam's. I thought that was strange as Sam never went anywhere without his iPhone.
'I looked through Ruth's phone and saw only loving texts between Ruth and Ceri even into Wednesday morning.
'I saw a text from her to Mark, her university lecturer, asking him out for a drink and another saying it was meant for Ceri.
'Ruth had told me she had a crush on Mark before. But she saw it as a schoolgirl crush and wasn't taking it further.
'Before we went to hospital I asked her where Ceri and the children where and where but she just looked at me blankly and said "mmm-hmmm".
'When she was in a cubical at A&E at around 11.30 in a moment of lucidity she said she and Ceri had not had a row, they had talked and he understood.
'I asked her what they understood and she replied they were splitting up.
'I asked if it was linked to Mark and she looked at me and nodded her head clearly meaning yes.'

She said the following morning Mrs Fuller woke up and wanted to speak.

Ruth Fuller's (pictured) sister Joanne Ballard said Ceri Fuller was 'unnaturally possessive' of his wife

Ruth Fuller's sister Joanna Ballard, pictured arriving at court with her partner, said Ceri Fuller enjoyed being the bread winner

Ms Ballard said: 'She looked at me and said "I think Ceri killed Rebecca".
'I asked her to repeat this and she did. But she suddenly went back to a blank face and humming.
'They were a very loving couple. There had been a violent incident back when they first got together but it was a long time ago.
'Ceri liked to be the bread winner in the family and Ruth's role was to be the mum.
'He was very possessive and she could be very flirty and this could cause problems.
'I never saw Ceri act aggressively towards the children.'

She added: 'Sam was an articulate intelligent boy, loved his gadgets and had a scientific mind.
'Rebecca was a shy girly girl, she didn't often talk. She would walk up to you and whisper in your ear if she wanted a drink.
'Charlie was the opposite, she was confident, a girly girl who loved to dress as a princess. She knew she was cute and would use it.'

Mr Fuller, of Milkwall, Coleford, Gloucestershire, was found dead at the foot of a 60ft cliff at the quarry with a fractured skull and other injuries consistent with a fall from height.
No traces of either drugs or alcohol were found in the body of the paper mill worker, whose Land Rover Freelander was seen parking up near the quarry on Friday July 13.
At the time of the deaths, West Mercia Police said one line of inquiry was that Mr Fuller had killed his children before taking his own life.
In a statement Mr Lindley-Highfield said he got a text from Mrs Fuller asking if he wanted to go for a drink and then a second one saying that it was meant for her husband.

He said: 'I replied sarcastically that it was a shame and put "ha" at the end to make sure.
'Later in the day I sent her another text setting out the boundaries in our relationship between as lecturer and student.'
In statements read to the court, friends of Mr Fuller, a production line supervisor, described him as a reserved family man who went walking in the country with colleagues.
In a statement read to the court by coroner Andrew Barkley, paper mill employee Alan Norton said Mr Fuller had appeared to be his normal self before he failed to attend work for a night shift on July 12.
'I didn't notice anything different about him from his usual self and I didn't notice any changes in his behaviour or personality,' Mr Norton said.
Other statements from Mr Fuller's colleagues described him as a good listener who rarely instigated conversations.

Flowers were left outside the family home in Milkwall, Gloucestershire, as police investigated the deaths

Peter Morgan, whose statement was also read to the inquest, said: 'I thought him to be a reserved type of person, very mild-mannered and softly-spoken.
'I am not aware of any reason as to why he may have taken his own life or that of his children.'
Steven Bovill, who worked alongside Mr Fuller at the paper mill in Lydney, Gloucestershire, said in his statement to the hearing: 'On July 11 he seemed to be his normal self.
'He was always calm and level-headed. I have no idea if he was having any personal issues or family problems.'

Another colleague, Alan Norton said Mr Fuller had given a 'Bowie knife' to a friend, Steven Harris, who also worked at the mill to use when they went walking.
When shown a picture of the knife found at the scene he told them it was identical to the one he had owned.
The inquest continues.