An inquest heard that after being discovered lying on his application, the builder who shot dead his fiancee and two small girls was still given a license.
At their £600,000 house, Kelly Fitzgibbons, 40, and his two young children, Ava, 4, and Lexi, 2, were shot by Robert Needham, 42, who then turned the pistol on himself.
The catastrophe occurred one week into lockdown in March 2020 in the peaceful West Sussex village of Woodmancote.
Today, it was revealed during an inquest that Needham had lied about his history of mental health issues on his application, and no disclosure warning letter was sent since his case was transferred to another police force in the middle of the process.
Needham initially submitted an application to the guns division of Hampshire Police, but he moved before the procedure was finished.
In 2016, Sussex Police issued Needham a shotgun license.
Needham claimed he had no prior criminal convictions and no history of mental health issues on the form he filed to Hampshire Police.
However, it was disclosed at the court that he had at least two episodes of mental health disorders in 2003 and 2013, had had treatment for depression, and later acknowledged having problems when he was 17 years old.
Senior firearms investigator testified at the inquest that four errors in the applicant’s application should have been “cause for worry” and raised a red flag.
The four-death inquest previously heard that Mr. Needham and Miss Fitzgibbons had been going through relationship and financial problems before the “diabolical tragedy.”
The couple, who had been together for 11 years, consented to a trial separation in a series of messages they sent each other in February in an effort to patch things up.
However, Mr. Needham, who had a history of cocaine use, had purchased a semi-automatic shotgun the next month after showing a licensed guns dealer his valid shotgun certificate.
After bringing it home, he killed his two little children, Ava and Lexi, under the bed’s duvet, along with his fiancee and the family dog.
Family relatives characterized the two girls as “angelic” and “mischievous,” and they were discovered laying next to each other on the double bed in their parents’ bedroom.
Part-time legal assistant Miss Fitzgibbons was discovered face down on the floor, and Mr. Needham was discovered in the corridor holding the revolver with the barrel aimed at his head.
Bill, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier owned by the family, was discovered shot to death close to the restroom.
The firearms enquiry officer (FEO) from Hampshire Police questioned Mr. Needham about the application during a house visit, according to testimony presented at the inquest in Horsham, West Sussex.
The FEO stated that Hampshire Police will examine its database and contact Needham’s doctor to determine whether he was qualified to own a handgun during the interview.
Needham then acknowledged that he had concealed a police caution for participating in a bicycle theft that he had gotten when he was 25 years old.
He responded that he did not believe it was pertinent when questioned why he did not mention it on the form.
Additionally, Needham claimed that his girlfriend Ms Fitzgibbons completed the form rather than him because “he didn’t write well” and she was unable to insert the warning since she was unaware of it.
Emma Ambler, a witness for Ms. Fitzgibbons, claimed to have seen the document and was positive that it was written in Needham’s handwriting at the inquiry.
He also acknowledged visiting his doctor in 2013 because of work stress and admitting he had received treatment for depression as a youngster in the 1990s.
Needham said that the treatment had taken place a long time ago and that he did not believe it was pertinent when asked why he had withheld this information.
In reality, Needham had had treatment for depression twice—once as a teenager and again in 2003—and had spoken with his doctor in 2013 as a result of job stress, according to a letter from Needham’s doctor that Hampshire Police received as part of their investigation.
Nevertheless, after receiving information about the inquiry from Hampshire Police, Sussex Police still gave Needham a shotgun certificate in 2016.
Needham was examined by a FEO who suggested that he be sent a disclosure warning letter to caution him against withholding pertinent medical and police information during future applications.
However, this was not sent since the case was turned over to Sussex Police.
Today, Hampshire’s Chief Inspector Nigel Lecointe said he would have anticipated further scrutiny of the application and that the false statements should have been a “cause for concern” and a warning sign.
When asked how frequently people lie on application forms, Chief Inspector Lecointe responded, “It does happen, but it’s not very prevalent.”
The next step is to determine if the applicant lied on purpose or whether they felt they didn’t need to share the information since it wasn’t important.
“The decision to give a guns license is subjective and is based on all the facts that is currently in our control.”
Some of the evidence will speak for itself, and if there is any reason to be concerned—whether it be a criminal record or health information—that may be a very obvious “no, we can’t grant a license.”
If there is any uncertainty, we will investigate whether the deceit was intentional and may extend the benefit of the doubt.
‘Whether the applicant is determined to have made a false statement is of special consequence,’ according to guidance for guns licensing from 2016.
Regardless of whether the certificate would have been rejected if the proper disclosure had been made, “deliberate refusal to declare relevant convictions, medical conditions, or medical history tends to establish unfitness.”
Coroner Bridget Dolan questioned Mr. Lecointe regarding the significance of the applicant’s integrity.
He concurred that even if the criminal conviction and history of mental health issues had been disclosed on the application, that wouldn’t necessarily mean they couldn’t hold a certificate.
He said that his attempt to conceal the information was more “serious” and that more investigation should have been done.
He claimed that if the firearms enquiry officer had discovered that Mr. Needham, not his fiancée, had really filled out the form, it may have “turned the balance” as to whether the application was approved or denied.
Mr. Lecointe stated that he believed that rather than the current requirement of every five years, new guns applications should be made annually.
The family’s attorney, Daniel Sawyer, questioned if Needham’s failure to disclose his sickness in 2003 and his criminal past should have raised more red flags.
Lecointe concurred.
Mr. Sawyer further questioned whether it was the applicant’s responsibility to establish their eligibility to possess a firearm or whether this was presumed until proven ineligible.
There is no presumption that everyone is entitled to a gun, according to Mr. Lecointe.
We have a responsibility to fulfil our own needs.
According to testimony given at the hearing, Hampshire Police was prepared to approve the guns certificate, but Mr. Needham moved, and the final approval decision was given to Sussex Police.
“We should never be complacent with what we do,” Mr. Lecointe remarked. Our responsibility is to make an effort to act morally, but we will make decisions with the best of intentions. Although we won’t always succeed, we’ll try.
The investigation goes on.