Mcfall's computer used to visit sex and torture websites

Two computers owned by Shropshire businessman Hugh McFall were used to trawl pornography, escort girls, HIV testing, euthanasia and torture websites days before he murdered his wife and daughter, an inquest heard.

The 48-year-old Oswestry wholesale florist had used both a computer at the family home in Hampton Road, Oswestry, and one at his business unit in St Martins to look at the websites, the inquest heard.

McFall's computer account was used to browse pornography, massage parlours and escort girls up until the day before he bludgeoned his wife, Sue, 56, and their 18-year-old daughter, Frankie, to death with a rubber mallet at the family home.

He then hanged himself at his new lock-up unit in St Martins where he had planned to expand his business.

Giving evidence at yesterday's inquest at Shrewsbury Magistrates Court, Richard Roberts, computer analyst and senior forensic investigator, said he examined the two computers McFall had access to.

The HP computer from McFall's business unit at Bank Top had been used to search massage parlours, pornography and escort girls in Cheshire from June last year up until February 4 this year.

On February 4, the day he was suspended as the flower supplier at Stans supermarket, he used the computer to look for HIV diagnosis, body temperature and euthanasia.

Contact

He also looked at the HM Revenue and Customs website, had looked to book two hotel rooms, and had viewed websites for skin conditions on the genitalia, sexual health clinics and HIV testing.

Today Detective Sergeant Niall Parker told the inquest blood tests showed none of the family was HIV positive.

The officer said contact had also been made by police with an escort agency in Cheshire which had been visited on computers McFall had access to.

Mr Parker said the Cheshire agency was very cooperative and asked all their girls if they knew McFall but they all said he was not a client.

Mr Parker added contact had also been made with a London sexual disease clinic which had been visited on one of the computers but police were told none of the McFall family members was registered with the clinic.

The hearing was told McFall also used the computer to look at the inquest story about the failed millionaire Chris Foster last year. Foster killed his wife and teenage daughter after suffering huge financial debts.

On January 29 this year - just days before McFall killed his wife and daughter - he also used the internet to search for "torture methods", the inquest was told.

Mr Roberts said his examination also revealed how the a web page was viewed entitled "the method of choice for murder was a knife and a hammer".

On the morning before McFall's meeting at Stans when he was confronted about the alleged £500,000 fraud, his computer was used to research escorts in Cheshire and look at various pictures of the escorts available for hire.

Dragged

The computer analyst told the inquest that identical websites were accessed on both the home computer and the business computer, of which McFall was the only user.

The first day of the two-day hearing also heard evidence from Claire Morse,a forensic scientist who had examined the scene. She told the inquest that blood was found in Frankie's bedroom, the master bedroom and on the landing. The rest of the family home was neat and tidy.

Mrs Morse said she discovered blood on the floor, walls, skirting boards and bannister of the landing and the carpet outside Frankie's bedroom door had two marks where something or someone had been dragged.

She said the blood staining on the landing showed a blood stained item or person had been moved across the landing from Frankie's bedroom to the main bedroom.

She told the coroner that the blood staining would suggest that a person was dragged.

The forensic scientist described how the bodies of Mrs McFall and her daughter were discovered lying next to each other with Mrs McFall touching Frankie's body.

Frankie had suffered injuries to her face and head after suffering five blows to her head with a rubber mallet.

Experts believe she was attacked in her bedroom before being moved, whilst still alive, to her parent's bedroom where she was laid next to her mother's body.

Mrs Morse said Frankie's face may have been wiped of some blood and she had blood on her arm, hand and legs. Medical experts believe Mrs McFall was killed by one massive strike to the head with a rubber mallet while she was asleep in bed.

She did not show any signs of a struggle or have any blood on any parts of her body, the inquest was told.

Mrs Morse said Mrs McFall had injuries to her face and blood in her hair and on her shoulder and on her arm and hand from touching Frankie but no blood on her lower body which was covered by the duvet.

Mrs Morse said Mrs McFall's body was moved from one side of the bed to the other after the blow to the head.

The hearing was also told that a lock of hair was also found in blood found in the teenager's room. Mrs Morse said there was nothing to suggest Frankie was assaulted in the master bedroom but the scene suggested she was attacked in her room where she fought for her life, before she was dragged to her parent's bedroom.

The devastated family of the McFalls also heard how Mrs McFall's single blow to the head caused as much damage as the five strikes Frankie suffered.

Frankie had also suffered injuries to her arms and legs from trying to defend herself and also suffered bruising to her legs when she was "gripped forcibly" in the struggle. Paramedic Victoria Musson, who was called to the scene, said she believed Frankie had not been dead as long as her mother when they arrived. But she said tests showed there were no signs of life in either of the women.

Coroner, Mr John Ellery, was told that an examination of the rubber mallet recovered from the scene suggested it was used to attack Mrs McFall first and then the couple's daughter.

Strap

Mrs Morse told the inquest that swabs of blood found on McFall's head when he was found hanged contained DNA from his wife and she did not completely exclude Frankie either.

A second blood sample found on his head came solely from his wife, the forensic scientist said.

Yesterday Dr Rhys Nguyen, deputy police surgeon, told the inquest McFall was found hanged with a strap around his neck suspended from the roof of his business unit.

She said a cherry picker was close by, which she believed he had jumped from to kill himself.

McFall's brother-in-law Neil Rheade told the inquest he and his wife Claire had invested £20,000 into McFall's business just a month before the deaths.

He said on the morning of February 4, McFall seemed his usual self but his mood had changed after a meeting with bosses at Stans later that day.

Giving evidence, Mr Rheade said: "He didn't seem himself, he just looked distant, he had lost interest."

Mr Rheade said his brother-in-law then handed him the keys to the business and said: "Here's the keys I'm not coming back today, I've got trouble at the shop."

James Brennan, worked at Stans and was a close friend of McFall. He said he contacted McFall because he was concerned about how he would be feeling.

He said his friend was "softly spoken" and "quite subdued".

Mr Brennan said McFall did not particularly want to talk but did say he had had a meeting which was all about "margins, margins, margins". He said McFall said his accounts were "transparent" and in order.

Mr Brennan broke the news to him that bosses at Stans had already arranged a new supplier, to which McFall replied "they didn't waste much time there".

McFall said he planned to concentrate on his floristry business and they ended the call.