Killer father electrocutes himself in prison cell

Dafydd Field, 52, is thought to have electrocuted himself by sticking his finger into a plug socket.

Six days earlier Field killed his son Jethro after his marriage to his wife Stevie broke down.

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The boy, who was also stabbed in the chest, was staying with his father at the former marital home as part of an 'amicable' agreement between the couple.

Field, a teaching assistant, had not been placed on suicide watch at Lewes prison in East Sussex because police and healthcare workers believed that he was not a risk to himself.

Now an inquiry is under way into this decision and to find out how he was able to electrocute himself.

Mrs Field, a 46-year-old care assistant, said: "We will for ever miss Jethro. He was such a special boy and no words can express how sad we feel.

"We will all miss his happiness, inquisitiveness, sense of humour, strength and love. Be at peace, darling."

A family friend said Mrs Field, who has two children, Tamsin, 16, and Marcus, 19, from a previous marriage, would be relieved that her husband had taken his own life because it resolved the tragic situation.

The friend, who did not want to be named, said: "Both Stevie and Tamsin told me they were not going to be bitter about what happened, because that does not solve anything.

Stevie is still totally bewildered at the moment. Dafydd was a very difficult man, very controlling. He was never violent, but he was very strict and would never let Stevie see her friends."

The family, including Field's 16-year-old daughter from a previous marriage, lived in a £350,000 house in the village of Farncombe near Godalming, Surrey.

Field was nicknamed 'Superdad' because of his devotion to the children.

Mrs Field moved out less than a week before Jethro's death. Field killed the boy in the early hours of last Wednesday before driving 250 miles to Wales, where he had family connections.

He called police at 10am to tell them what he done. Three hours later he surrendered himself at a police station in Gwynedd, North-West Wales.

He was taken back to Surrey and charged with murder. He appeared at Dorking magistrates on Saturday and was remanded in custody.

A Prison Service spokesman said: "We can confirm that Dafydd Field was found dead in his cell at HMP Lewes on April 10.

"Indications are it was selfinflicted and appears to be electrocution.

"As with all deaths in custody, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman will conduct an investigation."