A FATHER told police after he had strangled his wife and smothered their two-year-old son that it was "just one moment of madness," a court has heard.

Garry Lockhart, 33, made the comments after he attempted suicide following the deaths of Janet and Michael Lockhart at their home in Bonnyrigg, ­Midlothian, the High Court in Edinburgh was told yesterday.

A taped police interview with Lockhart, who denies murder but has admitted the killings, was played to jurors. Michael's grandparents were among those who heard the harrowing evidence in court.

Lockhart said he killed Michael after leaving his wife dead following a row over his drunken state early on December 28 last year.

He said that when his son woke up, he talked and played with him. But then, he added, "I put the pillow over him, he struggled and then he passed out."

Mrs Lockhart, he said, had already been carried to the main bedroom. He covered them both with a duvet as if they were sleeping.

Lockhart said he got two knives to kill himself, but then decided to take handfuls of paracetamol instead.

Explaining his reasons for killing Michael, Lockhart said: "I was concerned about Michael growing up with one parent in jail and one parent dead. The only way I could see out of it was if all three of us went".

Lockhart said he got into his car with the aim of killing himself, but was sick from the tablets and pulled over falling asleep. He was rescued by a passing police officer. The trial continues.