A verdict of unlawful killing has been returned by a jury at the inquest into the deaths of a 37-year-old woman and her two children in Dublin.
Seema Banu, her daughter Asfira, 11, and son Faizan, 6, were found in their bedrooms at their home in Ballinteer by gardaí on 28 October 2020.
They were pronounced dead at the scene.
Pathologist Dr Heidi Okkers, who performed post-mortem examinations of the bodies, said they had died as a result of asphyxiation.
Seema Banu's husband Sameer Syed later admitted to gardaí that he had killed his wife but denied killing their children.
They charged him with the murder of all three and Inspector Viv Rock told Dublin Coroner's Court that forensic evidence, including Syed’s fingerprints on a bag found under his daughter’s Asfira’s head after her death, suggested he had murdered the children.
He died in prison custody a week before he was due to go on trial.
The court also heard there was a history of violence.
Sameer Syed had been charged with assaulting his wife after an incident which left her unconscious.
Ms Banu had sought help and protection from her husband both in Ireland and in their home country of India but had also withdrew a protection order granted against him.
The court was shown evidence of controlling behaviour including recordings of video calls with her family in India where she told them she was not allowed to speak to the children or they to her.
There were also videos recorded on her phone with her speaking to camera saying her husband was not violent and in one she says: "Without my husband I am unable to live".
Gardaí say technical evidence showed that he was present in the home when some of these videos were made.
Detective Garda Ciarán Brennan, from the Garda National Cybercrime Unit, explained how this and other videos were recovered from her phone.
He also told the court that evidence from WiFi routers, phones and CCTV showed that Syed had broken his bail conditions multiple times by visiting the family home in Ballinteer.
The court saw CCTV footage from a Dublin Bus on 22 October 2020 showing him dressed in women's clothing with his head and face covered travelling towards Ballinteer.
He later admitted to gardaí that he was the person in the video.
His wife and children's bodies were discovered after gardaí forced their way into the home.
They had been called by a social worker who became concerned when Seema Banu did not answer the door when she called to the home for an appointment.
Their neighbours reported they had not seen the family for some days.
Pathologist Dr Okkers told the court the post-mortem examinations suggested the children had died up to 36 hours before she examined them but their mother had died before that - probably more than two days before the post-mortem.
More resources recommended to protect those at high risk
Returning the unlawful killing verdict, the jury also made three recommendations.
It called for a facility that visits by social workers and a interpreter can be observed; that time waiting for a case meeting in regards of high-risk children be shortened and that a support worker be allocated for the mother.
Coroner Clare Keane thanked the jury for its verdicts and said she would pass on its recommendations.
Members of Seema Banu's family travelled from India for the inquest.
The coroner expressed her sympathy to Ms Banu's mother and seven siblings.
