Mother charged over Spain deaths

The mother of two children found dead in a hotel room at a Spanish holiday resort has been charged with their murders. Lianne Smith, 43, was jailed pending trial on suspicion of killing Rebecca, five, and Daniel, 11 months, in Lloret de Mar, Costa Brava, on Tuesday.

Post-mortem examinations established the children were asphyxiated.

Judge Rafael Fernandez ruled there was evidence that the mother was responsible for the deaths and ruled she be jailed in Girona pending trial. Court officials said later that she had confessed.

Mrs Smith's husband, Martin, 45, has appeared in court in Cumbria charged with unrelated child sex offences. Mr Smith, the father of both children, originally from North Shields, Tyne and Wear, was extradited from Spain over 13 charges of sexual offences against a girl and for failing to answer police bail.