Killer policeman to be buried separate from family
A policeman who bludgeoned to death his wife and two children with a claw hammer will be buried separately.
Pc Karl Bluestone, 36, launched a frenzied attack on wife Jill, 31, and their four young children at their home in Kent last Tuesday night. Two of the children survived.
Coroner Roger Hatch has opened an inquest into the death of Mr Bluestone and then separately opened another inquest into the deaths of Mrs Bluestone and the children Henry, three, and Chandler 18 months.
Coroner's officer Pc Alan Thornley said: "Pc Bluestone and the rest of his family will be buried separately, which is why separate inquests are being held."
He added: "Whether there will be a police funeral for Pc Bluestone will be up to the family."
The officer said he expects the funerals to take place within the next week.
During the brief court hearing in Gravesend the deceased were identified before the inquests were adjourned until a date yet to be set.
Mrs Bluestone, a senior manager with Basildon District Council in Essex, was found dead in the kitchen at the rear of their house last Tuesday.
The couple's three-year-old son Henry was found at the bottom of the stairs.
Baby Chandler was discovered in his cot with severe head injuries and died later at Darent Valley Hospital in Dartford.
Bluestone hanged himself from his garage door after the frenzied attack on his family.
The couple's other son Jack seven, was found outside the house with his sister Jessica, six.
Jack has been recovering from serious head injuries at King's College Hospital in London, while Jessica was in the care of a friend of the family in agreement with social services.
Kent police and North Kent child protection committee have launched separate inquiries into their handling of the case.
