A JURY will today decide the fate of a man accused of trying to kill his two children.

James Patrick, prosecuting, claims the man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, tried to kill his two children by gassing them in his car after his ex-partner refused to give their relationship one last go.

The defence says the man knew the children would come to no harm as his car had a catalytic converter.

During the trial, Bristol Crown Court heard he sent a series of text messages to his ex-partner while she was on a night out, in which he threatened to kill the children.

Yesterday Mr Patrick said the dad had tried to put himself and the two youngsters into a deep sleep from which they would never awake.

Michael Vere-Hodge QC, defending, denied the man had intended to cause any harm.

Referring to the claim earlier in the trial that the texts had meant nothing, Mr Patrick told the jury: "It's not off the cuff, it's not gobbledy gook. It's clear, it's plain, it's unambiguous.

"It's him carrying out his plan. It's plain isn't it that he was meticulously planning his demise and the demise of his children?"

He added: "He bundled the children off, took them to Lydiard Park, telling nobody where he would be, attached the hosepipe, let the engine run and went to sleep. He was intending that they would all sleep, all of them sleep forever."

Mr Vere-Hodge criticised the prosecution for what he called indulging in emotion.

And he pointed to the claim that the dad knew his car had a catalytic converter and so the children would not be hurt.

"Don't allow the prosecution to undermine that very clear emotion that he has for his children and that he would not do anything intentionally to harm them at all," he said.

The jury will continue their deliberations today.