A father has been charged with murdering his two young children at the family home. Pavinya Nithiyakumar, aged 19 months, and Nigash Nithiyakumar, who was three years old, suffered fatal knife wounds at their house in Ilford, east London, on 26 April. Their father, Nadarajah Nithiyakumar, 40, who was rushed to hospital with knife wounds, was charged on Friday with murdering Pavinya and Nigash after he was discharged on Thursday night. He appeared in custody at Thames magistrates court on Friday. Opening inquests into the children’s deaths on Thursday, the east London coroner, Graeme Irvine, was told that the children had had their throats cut on 26 April. The coroner’s officer Jean Smyth said Nigash died in hospital in Whitechapel at 7.42pm the same day after being rushed there by ambulance, while his sister Pavinya was pronounced dead at the scene. Both children were identified by their mother, named locally as Nisa.