For a man with no immune system, I’m doing alright.
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Coroner: Reason for McFall murders may never be known
Friday 3rd September 2010, 11:42AM BST.
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The family of Shropshire florist Hugh McFall will never know exactly what drove him to murder his wife and daughter in a frenzied attack at the family home, a coroner said.
McFall, 48, bludgeoned his wife, Sue, and their 18-year-old daughter Frankie to death with a rubber mallet at their home in Hampton Road, Oswestry, before killing himself.
But despite the businessman fearing his “financial world had collapsed” after losing his main contract with Stans Superstore, nobody would ever know the exact reason for his actions, coroner Mr John Ellery said yesterday.
Ruling Mrs McFall, 56, and Frankie were unlawfully killed by McFall and that McFall killed himself at his business unit in St Martins, the coroner said between 90-95 per cent of his business income had “disappeared in a moment”.
But Mr Ellery said the wholesale florist could have rebuilt his income over time, especially with the launch of a new business in dried flowers.
The coroner said the family would “never know” why McFall launched the fatal attack. It may have been over the perceived social standing in the community, the prospect of a criminal court appearance or the fear of civil proceedings over an alleged £500,000 fraud.
Detectives told the hearing no fraud case would have gone to court due to a lack of evidence.
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