A wealthy antique dealer has admitted strangling his seven-year-old daughter with a dressing gown cord.
Robert Peters, 55, attacked Sophia while they were alone at the £1 million family home in Wimbledon, southwest London, on November 3 last year. She was taken to St George’s Hospital in Tooting and was placed on a life support machine but died the following day.
Peters denied murder but pleaded guilty to Sophia’s manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility. He and his twin brother, Richard, with whom he ran an antique dealership in Kensington, west London, specialise in Oriental ceramics. They are said to have risen to prominence after they bought a rare Chinese vase.
The brothers beat their rival bidders in an extraordinary auction, at which the vase had an asking price of £136 and an opening offer of £45 but eventually sold for nearly £100,000. His brother said at the time that the vase was a “bargain” and would probably be sold on to a Chinese client.
Peters and Kittiya Promsat, Sophia’s Thai mother, lived with their daughter in their detached house in Wimbledon. Ms Promsat is believed to be his third wife.
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He appeared before Judge Nicholas Hilliard, QC, for a plea hearing at the Old Bailey. Deanna Heer, for the prosecution, said that the plea was not accepted and there would be a trial at the Old Bailey from April 23.
The trial is expected to take up to two weeks to complete. A further case-management hearing has been set for March 28.
The defendant, who appeared in the dock wearing a grey sweatshirt, was remanded in custody.