London – Triple murder suspect Tania Clarence has been ordered to remain in custody following a bail hearing in central London on Tuesday.

The South African mother is accused of killing her three children last week while her husband Gary, a financier at Investec and law graduate from Stellenbosch University, was on holiday in Limpopo with the couple’s fourth child.

The 42-year-old appeared in court via video link at London’s historic Old Bailey where the judge said she should not be granted bail.

Four-year-old Olivia and three-year-old twins Max and Ben were found dead at the family’s upmarket home in New Malden, south London, last week Tuesday.

The three all suffered from a rare and incurable genetic disorder called Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), which causes muscle weakness and progressive loss of movement.

The illness rendered the children unable to stand and they required constant attention, which their mother reportedly struggled to cope with.

A British newspaper claimed the three children were suffocated in their beds, but medical experts are still looking to confirm the exact cause of their deaths.

This after initial post-mortem examinations proved inconclusive.

It was also suggested the children may have been killed 24 hours before police were called to the scene.

Relatives became worried after they hadn’t been able to contact any of the family members.

Reports last week suggested Clarence attempted to kill herself shortly before her arrest.

Eye Witness news (Edited by Craig Wynn)