CHRIS Grady has been found guilty of murdering his daughter and attempting to kill his son by driving into a Worcestershire river.

Grady, aged 42, will be handed an inevitable life sentence on Tuesday by High Court judge Mr Justice Lindblom.

A jury at Birmingham Crown Court took around five hours to reach the verdicts.

The three-week trial was told how Gabby, aged five, was trapped in the submerged car for two hours after Grady drove into the river Avon in Evesham on Thursday, February 11, last year.

Gabby died in hospital three days later. Ryan, now seven, was rescued by police officers who dived into the icy river to save him.

In the days leading up to the incident Grady was evicted from his flat in Evesham and had argued with the childen’s mother Kim Smith about having contact with them.

Grady had claimed he couldn’t remember driving into the river or writing a number of suicide notes which were found in the footwell of the car.

He said it was an accident and he had never intended to kill himself or his children.

Graham Reeds QC, prosecuting, said the notes demonstrated a degree of pre-planning and forethought about what Grady was intending to do.

One adressed Kim Smith said: “You led me to this my kids with me now.”

Mr Reeds said it was clear Grady blamed Miss Smith for what he was intending to do and had said to her a few months before: “If I cant have the kids you cant.”

• See how we reported the case in our special section here.

• Crime reporter James Savage is Tweeting live from the courtroom.

Follow him below for any reaction to the verdicts.