Man shot lover then killed himself
The daughter of a former Shropshire businessman who shot his girlfriend before turning the gun on himself has said it is "time to move on".
The daughter of a former Shropshire businessman who shot his girlfriend before turning the gun on himself has said it is "time to move on".
Layla Worthington was speaking after a coroner recorded a verdict of suicide on her 52-year-old father Howard, who had threatened to kill himself and partner Julie Rees just a month earlier, the inquest was told.
It was also revealed that the former steel company boss, who used to live in Shray Hill between Crudgington and Newport, kept numerous guns at his £900,000 home in Hyde Mill Lane, Brewood, Staffordshire.
They were discovered when police were called to the property by partner Julie Rees, who survived the attack, following a row just after Christmas last year.
During the argument Worthington told Mrs Rees he was going to shoot her, then himself. She was on the phone to police when he ret- urned with a gun, loaded it in front of her and cocked it ready to shoot. He was arrested nearby and charged with firearms and licence offences.
Badly
Detective Inspector Tim Martin, of Staffordshire Police, who led the investigation, said officers confiscated a number of guns from the luxurious canalside home the couple had shared since 2006.
As part of his bail conditions, Worthington was banned from going near Mrs Rees, a 47-year-old catering boss, but the inquest heard the four-times-married businessman was a "Jekyll and Hyde character" who reacted badly when he did not get his own way.
He returned to the house on January 29 and shot Mrs Rees before turning the gun on himself in a field off Dirty Lane nearby.
Days earlier he had made a will and written a note to his daughter, saying "sorry to end it like this".
After yesterday's hearing, Miss Worthington, a 24-year-old sales manager from Tettenhall, Wolverhampton, said: "This has been a sad time but I am satisfied with the coroner's verdict. Hopefully now the inquest is over we can have some closure, move on and rebuild our lives." Mrs Rees also attended the hearing but declined to comment.
By Marion Brennan
