Christmas Day double death was 'murder-suicide'

The deaths of a couple found at their home on Christmas Day are now being treated as a murder-suicide, Sussex Police have said.

Jan and Julia Tshabalala were found dead in Groomsland Drive, Billingshurst.

Their two children, aged six and four, were not believed to have been at home at the time.

Mr Tshabalala's cause of death was given as hanging, while tests found his wife died from pressure on the neck.

Det Ch Insp Paul Rymarz, of the Sussex and Surrey major crime team, said: "People may be wondering why it has taken so long to determine the causes of the couple's deaths.

"But this has not been a straightforward case and consideration has had to be given to a number of forensic factors. We have had to await the outcome of tests that have taken time to complete."

The date of an inquest, where the exact circumstances of the deaths will be decided, has yet to be fixed.