Mother loses the right to name her twins

Judges agreed Preacher was not as damaging as Cyanide, but they ruled that both names be changed. Photo / iStock

A woman planning to name her children Cyanide and Preacher has been banned from doing so by UK courts.

The Welsh woman told the Court of Appeal Cyanide was a "lovely, pretty name" for her daughter, chosen because it's a name related to flowers, and because it was "responsible for killing Hitler and Goebbels and I consider that this was a good thing", The Sun reports.

She chose the name Preacher for her son because she believed it to be a "rather cool name" with a "strong spiritual" message. She said the name would "stand my son well for the future".

She defended her choices by arguing it was her human right to name her children. But a judge has prevented her from registering the names, and three Appeal Court judges have subsequently upheld the injunction on the grounds that the names could bring harm to the twins.

While the judges agreed Preacher was not as damaging as Cyanide, they ruled that both names be changed.

The court also heard how the babies' mother suffered from mental illness and substance abuse.

The children are now in foster care with their mother's three other children. The twins' names will reportedly be chosen by their older half-siblings.

- nzherald.co.nz