THE husband of a depressed mother who smothered her three disabled children before attempting suicide has expressed his hope that no family will ever again have to endure the "unbearable pressure" that eventually overwhelmed his wife.

Tania Clarence, 43, was handed a hospital order at the Old Bailey after admitting the manslaughter by diminished responsibility of Olivia, four, and three-year-old twins Ben and Max at her home in New Malden, south west London, over the Easter holidays.

Afterwards, investment banker Gary Clarence said "lessons need to be learned" from his wife's story of "dedication and love" which turned to "despair and utter hopelessness".

In a statement issued on his behalf, solicitor Richard Egan blamed medical professionals and social services for contributing to Clarence's depression.

He said: "The loss of the children's lives at the hands of their mother who cherished them is a tragedy explained by her severe depressive illness. But it is also a tragedy from which lessons need to be learned.

"Tania's depression was certainly not assisted by the constant pressure placed on the family by some individuals within the medical profession and social services who could not agree with Tania and Gary Clarence's stance of prioritising quality of life for their children and who were not readily willing to submit the children to operations and other interventions that they felt were not appropriate in the circumstances. Gary Clarence will be making no personal comment until the conclusion of all internal investigations and reviews.

"In due course he will be assisting Kingston Borough Council in their review of the decisions taken in this case, and he hopes to be able to ensure that never again will a family have to endure the unbearable pressure that eventually overwhelmed the resources of his wife."

The court has heard the children, who suffered from muscle-weakening condition MSA type-2, were found dead - tucked into their beds with toys arranged around their heads posed as if on a "bier" lying in state.

Days before the killings, Clarence's husband took their eight-year-old daughter, who is not disabled, on a holiday to South Africa, leaving the defendant alone with her other children, having given the nanny a day off.

Sentencing her to a hospital order, Mr Justice Sweeney said there was "clear and convincing" evidence that she was suffering a "major depressive episode".