Sami Salem (left) admits killing Arena Saeed (right) and her children, Shadia Salem (back left), six, and Rami Saeed (back right), four

A father today admitted suffocating his wife and drowning his two children at the former home of John Lennon.

Arena Saeed and her children, Shadia Salem, six, and Rami Saeed, four, were found dead last month at the flat on Falkner Street in Toxteth, Liverpool.

Sami Salem, 30, said he unlawfully killed his wife - whom he wed in an arranged marriage - and children at the property where he lived, while appearing via videolink at Liverpool Crown Court.

However, the court was told he would not formally enter pleas to the three counts of murder until he had been examined by a psychiatrist.

Salem said: 'I want to plead guilty to the suffocation of my wife and the drowning of my kids and I'm saying it now.'

The father, who had a beard and wore a grey jumper, was in tears at points during the hearing and appeared to be rocking backwards and forwards in his seat.

Shadia (left) and Rami were drowned by their father Sami, he admitted today. They were found dead last month at the flat on Falkner Street in Toxteth, Liverpool (right)

Judge David Aubrey adjourned the case until September 22, when Salem is expected to formally enter pleas.

Residents on Falkner Street were told to evacuate their homes due to concerns over a gas leak after the bodies were discovered on May 30.

The property is a regular stop for Beatles fans on sightseeing tours of the city as the band's manager Brian Epstein used to own a flat there.

Lennon and his first wife Cynthia lived in the flat shortly after they were married.

Earlier this month Arena's brother Yaseen Alshape, 30, claimed she moved from Yemen to Britain 'to build a future for her children' after an arranged marriage.

The property on Falkner Street in Liverpool is a regular stop for Beatles fans on sightseeing tours of the city as the band's manager Brian Epstein used to own a flat there

Lennon and his first wife Cynthia (pictured) lived in the flat shortly after they were married

Speaking through a translator, Mr Alshape told the Liverpool Echo that she moved to the UK 'to build a future' for her children after getting married to Salem in 2009.

He said: 'Arena was loved by her friends for her patience in dealing with people. She had many dreams and wanted to live in Britain to build a future for her children.

'When Arena and the children departed, our smiles departed. She left a void in her family, we lost our most cherished sister and her children.

'We raised them in Yemen and they will never leave our memories. So far in our house in the city of Aden we receive solace from all who knew her and her children.

'We ask God to accept her martyr and to have mercy on her and forgive her. This is a heinous crime against humanity and the right of children.'