THE inquest into the death of a violent killer from Radcliffe -- who murdered a Bolton mum and her two young sons -- began today.

Peter Christopher Hall, 35, was found hanged in a prison cell, nine months after admitting in court he had stabbed and battered to death his girlfriend Celeste Bates and her children Daniel, eight, and 17-month-old Milo.

The victims' bodies were discovered by police who broke into 31-year-old Celeste's Blackburn Road home in Egerton in September, 1998. Hall, who ran a heating firm in Breightmet with his brother, had stabbed the young mother 10 times as well as hitting her with an ornamental iron causing severe head injuries. The calculating killer then returned to his Radcliffe home in Moss Shaw Way before two hours later picking toddler Milo up from his nursery and battering the tot to death with a pickaxe handle.

Hall then collected Daniel from a childminder and took him back to the family's £80,000 terraced home before again using the pickaxe handle to kill the little boy.

The killing spree came after Hall became demented with jealousy, fearing Celeste was about to leave him to return to her estranged husband.

Hall then went on the run but was arrested soon after when he crashed Brazilian-born Celeste's car in Hawkshaw.

Jailing him for life at Manchester Crown Court in March 1999, Mr Justice Forbes, told Hall: "You brutally destroyed three innocent lives. None of your victims had done you the slightest harm."

But in a further twist in December 1999, the killer was found hanging from the bars of his cell in Wakefield Prison.

Today a jury was due to hear evidence at the inquest into Hall's death at Wakefield Coroner's Court.

Eight witnesses were expected to give evidence in court in a hearing scheduled to last all day. Hall's death has also been the subject of a separate Prison Service inquiry.