Burning car father left note

It was supposed to have been a family outing to the cinema.

As Claude Mubiangata packed his four young children into the car, they believed their loving father was taking them to see Scooby-Doo. But within hours Alpha, 12, Cyndy, nine, Kio, six, and Aaron, three, died at the hands of depressed Mubiangata, who also took his own life.

The children's bodies were found beside their father's in a burning car in a deserted industrial estate in West Ham. Two notes from the 38-year-old were found, one saying: "Sorry."

Today the children's mother, Chantelle, is being comforted by family and friends at her Upton Park home where the children lived. The three eldest were pupils at Elmhurst primary school, where their classmates were today being told of the tragedy.

The Nissan Primera was seen ablaze by a passer-by and firefighters found the bodies inside. Scotland Yard said post-mortems on all five bodies found they died of severe burns and inhalation of fumes from the fire.

Mubiangata had became depressed as his once strong marriage collapsed. His friend Cino Mangono, 37, said he became isolated after moving out of the family home. "He was hurt, really hurt," said Mr Mangono.

"He was already living in another world before committing this. He was somewhere else, somewhere different, somewhere we couldn't go." He said Mubiangata had made a cry for help, saying, "I've got a problem, it's very serious," weeks before the killings.

Mubiangata had come to live with Mr Mangono after emigrating from the Congo to Britain in 1989 to find a better life for his growing family.

"He was a very intelligent man. His life was his kids," said Mr Mangono. "Claude could never tell you more than two or three facts without mentioning his kids. He would say 'My kids are everything to me, without them I'm lost'. They were really in love with their father. He would take them everywhere. They were very, very good and lovable, a lot of fun."

Of Mrs Mubiangata, Mr Mangono said: "She used to say she was the happiest woman, that their marriage was so strong. Claude was always behind them. Everything was Chantelle. Chantelle was like Jesus to him." But five months ago the marriage collapsed after Mrs Mubiangata's sister moved in with the family, and Mubiangata moved to a flat nearby.

Mr Mangono said his friend often tried to hide his troubles, adding: "Everybody who saw him on Saturday said he was the happiest man, playing football with the kids and telling everybody he was taking them to see Scooby Doo at the cinema."

The dead man's full despair was laid bare in the twin suicide notes he left for his wife and his brother, Prosper.

In his letter to his wife, Mubiangata said: "I didn't want you to see me going around as a mad person. Forgive me for everything I have done. I'm giving you the freedom to ... look after your sister's kids, because I am taking mine with me. I am dying with your love inside me."

He asked Prosper that his ashes be scattered in Upton Park, and said: "Sorry. I have let people down."