GEORGE TOWN: A 36-year-old lorry driver did not know his two sons were dead when he checked on them after he got home from a date with his lover three years ago, a High Court here heard.

Idris Saidin said he went to his children's bedroom after the date with "Ana" at about 11.40pm on the day of the incident and saw them "sleeping".

"It was dark and I did not touch them," he said at the trial of his former wife Rosniza Ibrahim, 37, whom he divorced two years ago while she was in prison.

Rosniza, a nanny, is charged with murdering their sons Muhammad Alif Hakimi, five-and-a-half, and 17-month-old Muhammad Alif Hazimi by strangling them with an electric iron's cord at their flat in Taman Indah, Lebuh Batu Maung 8, at about 11pm on Feb 18, 2007.

Idris said he fell asleep in the hall after watching television and only went to his room when Rosniza woke him up at about 3am.

He said he was awakened in the morning by a neighbour and found policemen in his living room.

"I asked my neighbour Shukri where Rosniza was and was told she was at the police station. I asked why and he said Rosniza had killed our children," he said.

Idris said he rushed to his sons' room, felt their chests and shook them but got no reaction. He was then arrested.

Cross-examined by counsel K. Simon Murali, Idris said Rosniza became depressed after he told her he wanted to marry Ana, a month before the incident.

Asked if Rosniza had tried to call him more than 10 times while he was with Ana on the day of the incident, Idris said he could not remember.

He admitted that Rosniza had sent him SMSes asking if he was coming home for dinner but said he did not reply as he was eating with Ana and that he did not normally send SMSes.

In re-examination, Deputy Public Prosecutor Arik Zakri Abdul Kadir asked Idris why he wanted to marry Ana, to which he replied: "Saya tak boleh tahan (I could not stand) Rosniza."

He said he did not want a divorce because he cared for his two children.

Asked why he divorced Rosniza in 2008, Idris said by then their marriage was meaningless. "She did not even want to look at me. I could no longer accept her as my wife."

The hearing before Justice Mohd Zaki Md Yasin continues today.