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Phillip Austin’s name is etched in the darker chapters of British criminal history. In Northampton, he committed a horrifying act of familicide, murdering his wife, their two children, and the family’s two dogs.
Despite the shocking nature of his crimes, Austin’s case remains relatively unknown. It has been overshadowed by high-profile cases like the Chris Watts murders or the tragic killing of eight-year-old Sarah Payne, the latter of which occurred around the same time in July 2000.
This article revisits the chilling case of Phillip Austin, exploring the possible motives behind his actions and the events leading to his arrest and conviction.
Life before the murders
To friends and colleagues, Philip Austin appeared to be a regular family man before his murderous spree. At the time of his crimes, the 31-year-old worked as a forklift operator on the night shift.
Austin had a wife – 31-year-old Claire Austin – who he shared two children with, seven-year-old Jade and eight-year-old Kieren.
Claire was a part-time care worker who worked for the Northamptonshire County Council. Philip and Claire married in 1993, and had lived in their family home since the previous year.
The family of four lived in Northampton on the Standens Barn housing estate. They owned two dogs – poodles named Sooty and Dandy – and a cat called Snoopy.
Despite living a seemingly normal life, Austin had a serious rage issue and an unsteady relationship with his wife. Prior to his murders, he had attended marriage counselling and went through sessions for anger management.
Reports from the police following the murders showed he had no previous convictions, but that he left the home a few times following arguments with Claire. There were also no signs of psychological problems.
The murders of Claire, Jade, and Kieren
On 10th July 2000, Austin brutally murdered his wife. He hit her on the head with a mallet before strangling her with her bra. He then stabbed her with two large carving knives with such force that the handle broke off one.
Austin then turned on the family dogs, hitting them repeatedly in the head with the same mallet he used on his wife.
After the murder, Austin cleaned himself up, changed his clothes, took £700 out of his bank, and picked up his children from school. He took Jade and Kieren out for a drive, followed by a fish and chip dinner.
Once home, he took them immediately to their beds so they wouldn’t see what he had done to their mother. He gave them a dose of Nytol - a sleeping medication - before strangling them to death.
Disturbingly, the marks on their bodies suggested that the children had not been unconscious and had fought for their lives.
Finding the bodies
It wasn’t until a week later – on Monday, 17th July 2000 – that the bodies of Claire, Kieren, Jade, and their dogs were found. Claire’s parents, Carol and Harry Quinn, made the distressing discovery.
They had received a call from Claire’s neighbours, concerned for their welfare after not seeing them for several days. Upon entering the family homes, they were met with the grim sight of their daughter and grandchildren’s bodies.
Arresting Phillip Austin
Austin went on the run in the week between the murders and the bodies being found. He went to Scarborough and Blackpool and was eventually arrested in the Lake District. He was discovered sitting in his car with slashed wrists.
Austin’s motives
The motives for the familicide are still unclear, and authorities were left unsure as to whether this had been premeditated or an act of sudden anger.
When questioned about his crimes, Austin explained that he had turned on Claire following an argument. The explanation for his children's deaths was equally vague, as Austin said that the thought of killing them came to him after he killed their mother.
The conviction
Although initially pleading not guilty on the grounds of diminished responsibility, Austin later changed his plea. He was given three concurrent life sentences for Claire, Jade, and Kieren.
Austin was denied a move to an open prison in 2021 after he applied for parole, two decades after the murders of his wife and children.
Remembering the victims
Philip Austin left a trail of devastation after his murderous rampage. Not only did he take the lives of Claire and his two young children, but he also took them away from the rest of their family.
Claire’s parents Harry and Carol have to live without their daughter and grandchildren, but they are also forever scarred by the memories of the horrific sights they discovered at the Austin family home.
While Philip Austin will remain in prison to the day he dies, their family, neighbours, and friends will forever remember Claire, Jade, and Kieren.
