Ireland - Couple's child custody dispute ends in their deaths, Kildysart

'A bitter custody battle sparked the horrific fatal stabbing of a feuding couple, it emerged last night.

Only child Angie Booysen-Billing, 27, wanted to bring her two girls from Co Clare back to her native South Africa.

But it’s understood her husband Cornelius, 44, snapped and stabbed her in the chest – later telling paramedics: "She stabbed me and I took the knife off her and stabbed her.”

The pair were due in a court today over custody of their two daughters, aged three and five.'

The stabbings were discovered when Angie ran into the street (where police and firefighters were attending an unrelated fire) Thursday, holding one of her children and screaming 'He's stabbed me'. She then collapsed and died, and when police entered the house they found her husband Cornelius also dying from a stab wound to the throat. He had time to tell police 'She stabbed me first', but authorities say it's possible his wound was self-inflicted.

The couple are reported to have had money problems, with Cornelius having to work in Tanzania and Angie left alone in Ireland and desperate to go home to her native South Africa.

http://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/crime/clare-deaths-bitter-custody-battle-4837142

'South African embassy officials in Ireland are investigating the deaths of an expat couple, who apparently stabbed each other, there....

“We have sent officials from our embassy to where the incident took place,” said international affairs department spokesperson Nelson Kgwete said today.

“We are still awaiting a report from … Dublin on what they have established.”

Kgwete said embassy officials were driving to the village today to verify the citizenship status of the couple and establish what could be done to help the children.'

http://www.citypress.co.za/news/embassy-investigate-deaths-sa-couple-ireland/

Those poor babies.