A father drugged his family before murdering his wife and then jumping off Beachy Head with their two young boys, an inquest heard.

Former construction worker Adelino Figueira de Faria, 57, savagely stabbed his wife more than 60 times at their family home in Twickenham.

He then travelled 90 miles to the notorious suicide spot in East Sussex where he walked off the edge of the cliff with sons Claudio, 10, and Joaquin, 7, falling 531 feet to their deaths.

He had drugged former journalist Laura Cecilia Navarrete de Figueira, 47, and their young sons with Zopiclone sleeping pills.

He had left a suicide note shortly before the deaths in March 2018 saying he had lost his faith in God and in messages apologised to family for what he was about to do.

The Venezuelan couple had failed to find work since moving to the UK for a better life and had run out of money as their tenancy agreement of their £650,000 home in South Road came up for renewal.

Coroner Dr Sean Cummings sitting at West London Coroner's Court concluded the father killed himself and unlawfully killed his wife and two sons on March 5 last year.

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Detective Sergeant Matt Flynn told the inquest police were called to the home by Mr Figueira de Faria's eldest son from a previous marriage at 5.54pm.

"He stated he received an email from his father stating he was committing suicide and officers attended the location at 6.04pm," he said.

"The emails that had been sent apologises for what was being done and there was a note left on the table of the premises.

The note read: 'I'm so sorry. I cannot let my children live any more in a world of despair, endless pain and suffering.

"There is no hope in this life. I cannot find God to get faith and hope."

Other letters were emailed to family members, including Mrs Navarrete de Figueira's brother Claudio and his eldest son Daniel Sandoval.

DS Flynn said: "He was a family man, but there's something clearly on his mind at that time in relation to the letter that he wrote to family, that he had become very disillusioned with his outlook on life and potentially so there was no fall back, no hope and I say presumably, that pushed him down this path where the actions that he took were clearly wholly and grossly wrong but it's quite hard.

"I think he could not see a way forward."

DS Flynn said the boys were popular and making good progress at Sheen Mount Primary School according to their headteacher Ian Hutchings.

He said: "Claudio was a happy child, as was his brother as well and there was no cause for concern.

"The boys had everything they could have wanted if they would have lived.

"It was noted Claudio and Joaquin were warm and loving towards their father.

"The boys both made good progress with their language and school work and were liked."

Referring to post mortem examinations that revealed all three victims had Zopiclone in their system, DS Flynn said it was at a "therapeutic" level and not enough to "stupefy or render unconscious" Ms Navarrete de Figueira.

Post mortem examinations gave the medical causes of death of Ms Navarrete de Figueira as multiple stab wounds and the father and boys as multiple traumatic injuries "consistent with a fall from height."

Dr Cummings, reading from the report on Ms Navarrete de Figueira, said: "There was a toxicology analysis which indicated the presence of some sedative medications.

"There are no particular significant findings and no direct toxicological cause of death."

The principal injuries were a slit across her carotid artery, stab wounds to the heart and lungs and there were cuts to her arms and hands indicating she tried to defend herself.

Dr Cummings added: "This meant that at least the initial part of the attack… she was awake and alert to the attack occurring and assumed methods to defend herself."

No family members were present at the inquest.