Police spoke to man before murder-suicide

Three days before he killed himself and his three New Zealand children in Australia, Rajesh "Eddie" Osborne was interviewed by police.

He was charged with a family-related offence and was told to face court in July.

Osborne was being prosecuted by police from the Broadmeadows criminal investigation unit in Melbourne.

His criminal past has emerged as his first wife Shianne Singh - the mother of the dead children - revealed how she was also a victim of domestic and sexual violence at Osborne's hands.

The grieving mother told the Herald Sun that once the investigation was over, "the detectives will have a fair idea of what sort of person he is".

Public court listings show Osborne was due to face court in July and Victoria Police confirmed he had been interviewed recently by officers.

"That male was interviewed on the seventh of April at Broadmeadows police station," a police spokeswoman said.

Police believe Osborne used a shotgun to kill his three children, Asia, 12, Jarius, 10, and Grace, 7. then himself, in his Roxburgh Park home between 10.30am and 1.15pm on April 10.

The mourning mother said she was bewildered that neither Osborne's mother nor any authorities had stepped in to save her children despite warning signs.

"He had tried to commit suicide with an overdose of tablets (six months ago). Weren't they concerned about the welfare of the three children if the father was doing that?" she said.

Osborne lived in Hamilton and Dunedin with Shianne Singh, from 1999 to 2004, before returning to work in Melbourne in 2004.

Ms Singh said she had fled the relationship with Osborne, believing it was in her children's best interests.

She said the dead man had threatened to kill her if she took custody of their children after they split.

"He was very violent," she said.

"Every time we argued and fought my eldest daughter, Asia, would group the other two siblings together and she would hide in the room and cry.

"He was always cheating on me. He had a number of girlfriends.

"He's also got another child to another woman in New Zealand."

Ms Singh had watched her children grow from a distance, secretly communicating every day with her ex-husband's sister about their progress.

"Whenever there was a birthday or something she would ring me and the children would be in the background. I would just hear their voices," she said.

"They weren't even allowed to say my name out loud," the mother said.

Ms Singh said she knew nothing of Osborne's first suicide attempt before her children were shot.

"I heard this (from police) and it shocked me to know that this happened six months ago and if it had been looked after, well, he wouldn't have done it."

Ms Singh, who had given birth four times, is now childless.

When they were in New Zealand, she and Osborne lost an eight-week-old daughter, Aroha, to bronchial pneumonia and the child was buried here.

She is now fighting Osborne's girlfriend, Rima El Bayad, to return the bodies of Asia, Jairus and Grace to New Zealand.

"I certainly don't want the murderer of my children buried next to them," she said.

"My children did not want to die.

"They had a whole life ahead of them.

"I want them to be with their sister.

"His girlfriend of five months is just his new girlfriend. I have no idea why she's saying she will fight (this)."

Ms El Bayad has said of the dead triple killer: "He kept saying how his past was haunting him."

- NZPA