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The 11-year-old boy suffered injuries from a fatal attack by his mother while defending himself, the jury said

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An 11-year-old boy suffered injuries consistent with attempts to defend himself from an attack that killed him and his seven-year-old sister, a pathologist told a court.

Jurors were told that Ethan and Elizabeth John were pronounced dead at their home in Stoke-on-Trent on June 11 last year after they were found with severe wounds which had caused “significant blood loss”.

Veronique John, their mother, has been charged with the murder of both children and a trial is currently taking place at Nottingham Crown Court to determine whether or not she caused the fatal injuries.

She was also charged with the attempted murder of her husband, Nathan John. Jurors will now be asked if they are sure she stabbed him in the stomach.

A street of terraced houses. There are cars on the street, but it is cordoned off with police tape. In the distance, police cars and police officers can be seen at the end of the street.A street of terraced houses. There are cars on the street, but it is cordoned off with police tape. In the distance, police cars and police officers can be seen at the end of the street.

A police cordon in Flax Street after the attack (Stephanie Wareham/PA).

Dr Brett Lockyer, a forensic pathologist, told the court on Friday that Ethan suffered injuries to his hand, including to the palm and between his thumb and forefinger, suggesting he was trying to defend himself.

He told jurors that the injuries to the boy’s hand could mean that Ethan tried to grab the blade in self-defense during the attack.

According to the jury, Ethan suffered 21 individual stab wounds, including to his head, chest, neck and hands.

The pathologist said a wound to the neck was the cause of death and that Ethan died “shortly after” the wound was inflicted.

His sister Elizabeth also suffered a fatal wound to the neck and had “severe” bruising on the left side of her face and forehead, the court was told.

She suffered a stab wound that went “through her abdomen” and a traumatic brain injury caused by at least one “violent blow,” the pathologist said.

Dr Lockyer said Elizabeth also suffered a skull fracture.

Defence lawyer Rachel Brand KC called for no evidence on behalf of John, 50, who is accused of attacking her husband in a car wash and telling him she had “just killed the children”.

In his closing argument to the jury, prosecutor Peter Grieves-Smith said of John: “By the time she got to the car wash, she had done something almost too horrific to contemplate.”

The blood of her two children found on John’s clothes proves what she did, Grieves-Smith claimed, adding: “Her words prove that she did it.”

“We say you can be sure that she is responsible for the murder of her children and the attack on Nathan.”

Two bouquets of flowers stand in front of a red brick wall. They are still in the plastic wrapper, but the buds are opening to reveal pink and orange flowers.Two bouquets of flowers stand in front of a red brick wall. They are still in the plastic wrapper, but the buds are opening to reveal pink and orange flowers.

Flowers at the crime scene in Flax Street (Stephanie Wareham/PA)

The jury was told that John, of Flax Street, Stoke, was declared unfit to stand trial.

As part of the legal instructions, trial judge Justice Choudhury told the jury that their foreman would be asked to answer “yes” or “no” if the jury was satisfied that John had unlawfully inflicted injuries resulting in death.

The panel must also determine whether John caused any injuries to her husband.

The jury is expected to retire on Monday to deliberate on its verdict.

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