自分の家族を殺害した男は「愛情深い父親」だった, 審問は聞く

A man blasted his partner and their two young children to death with a shotgun was a ‘loving father’ who showed no signs of the inner turmoil that would lead to the tragedy, 今日聞いた死因審問.

Robert Needham, 42, shot his daughter Ava, 四, in the head and his two-year-old daughter Lexi in the chest during the first Covid 封鎖 に 2020.

He also shot his fiancee Kelly Fitzgibbons, 40, in the head and neck at their £600,000 home in West Sussex.

Mr Needham is then believed to have turned the gun on himself and shot himself in the head.

All four were found dead at the detached property in the quiet village of Woodmancote on Sunday evening, 行進 29 2020 – just a week after lockdown was imposed.

二人の女の子, who were described as ‘angelic’ and ‘mischievous’ by family members, were found lying side by side on the double bed in their parents’ bedroom.

Miss Fitzgibbons, a legal secretary, was found lying face down on the floor while Mr Needham was found in the hallway with the gun cradled in his arms and the barrel pointing towards his head. Two discharged shotgun cartridges were found on the floor.

Today an inquest into the deaths heard there had been no signs of the mental stress Mr Needham was under before the brutal killings.

But the hearing was told he was a secret cocaine user and, in the days leading up the tragedy, had tried to get hold of the drug from a supplier without success.

The inquest heard toxicology tests also showed he had not taken any cocaine at the time of the tragedy.

In a statement read to the court his family said the killings were a ‘diabolical tragedy’.

彼らは言った: ‘The loss of Robert, ケリー, Ava and Lexi has left an agonising hole in our lives which will never be filled. They appeared to be a strong loving family.

‘There was no indication of the inner turmoil Rob was clearly experiencing. There is no plausible explanation for the destruction caused that night that we can fathom.’

Mr Needham, a builder, is understood to have been granted a firearms certificate in 2017 and had purchased a shotgun which he kept in the house just before the attack.

The hearing was told Mr Needham had been suffering financial problems in the run-up to the Covid lockdown in March 2020.

The family had earlier moved into Mr Needham’s family home in Woodmancote, West Sussex to help care for his mother, モリーン, 77, after his father Rex, who suffered with Parkinson’s disease, で死亡しました 2017.

They lived upstairs rent free while his mother lived in a ‘granny flat’ downstairs.

Mr Needham was building an extension to the house but the family had run into financial problems and had stopped contributing to the bills.

The builder had also been forced to take out a loan of £20,000 from his mother to cover his family’s day-to-day living.

When Covid struck Mr Needham found it difficult getting hold of building supplies and had to put the work extension on hold.

In a statement read to the inquest Maureen Needham said she believed they needed the money for nursery fees and day to day living.

She also entered an equity release agreement for £180,000 to help fund the building of the extension.

In a statement to the hearing, Miss Fitzgibbons’ twin sister, Emma Ambler, said she did not believe the couple had any serious money worries.

彼女は言いました: ‘I got the impression they were OK for money. They could afford nights out and nice things.’

Miss Fitzgibbons said her sister had talked about tightening their belts for a bit but did not seem unduly concerned.

She said she did not have an answer as to why Mr Needham shot his partner and two girls to death.

‘Rob absolutely adored the girls. Ava was a real daddy’s girl. Kelly had never told me Rob was violent towards her and the girls in any way.

‘I thought life was good for Kelly and Rob and the girls. If it was down to money difficulties it must be something Kelly didn’t know about. She was not terribly concerned about money or worried about the coronavirus situation.’

彼女は言いました: ‘Ava was a beautiful, angelic little girl. She was a right chatterbox. She loved holding hands, dancing and chatting. She made many friends in school. She was a ray of sunshine and had a positive approach to school life. She was always ready with a smile on her face.

‘Lexi was cheeky. She was always either smiling or frowning. She was a little bit more confident. She had a mischievous streak in her but she loved to cuddle up. She greeted every day with love and enthusiasm. They got on well together and shared a strong bond.’

Hair sample tests showed Mr Needham had previously been a ‘cocaine user’ and had been forced, 過去には, to see a doctor over damage the drug had caused to his nose.

The hearing was also told in the days leading up to the killings he had twice tried to get hold of the drug without success.

Miss Ambler said she had no idea Mr Needham had recently purchased a shotgun and kept it at the house but said her twin sister wouldn’t have told her because she would have known she wouldn’t have approved.

The bodies were found by family friend Ronald Peacock who climbed a ladder into their dormer bedroom.

He found the two young girls lying side by side on the bed under the duvet and their mother lying on the floor. Mr Needham was found on the landing.

Examination of the body showed Miss Fitzgibbons had injuries to her forearm and the side of her face, suggesting she had tried to defend herself as her fiancee levelled the shotgun at her and shot.

A second gunshot wound to the left side of her head would have immediately proved fatal, 公聴会で言われた.

Both the young girls had been shot a close or point blank range and died almost immediately.

The killings shocked the village’s close-knit community, with locals claiming keen angler Mr Needham appeared to be a dedicated family man.

ただ 48 hours before the tragedy, Miss Fitzgibbons posted a series of images online showing the whole family enjoying a lockdown walk in the sunshine.

The inquests continue.