A distraught uncle has described his moment of terror when he found his niece and her daughters slaughtered by her husband.
Robert Needham, 42, killed his wife Kelly Fitzgibbons, 40, and his two daughters, Ava, four, Lexi, two, and their dog at their £600,000 home before taking his own life.
The tragedy happened in the quiet village of Woodmancote in West Sussex just a week into lockdown in March 2020.
Kelly’s uncle, Ronald Peacock, told an inquest in Horsham, West Sussex, on Tuesday about the moment he found their bodies after climbing through an open window into the couple's bedroom.
Mr Peacock added: "I realised I could see Ava’s head on the bed, under the duvet. Both girls laying side by side in the bed.
“I could see Kelly on the floor, near the door. Rob was on the floor in the hallway. I climbed through the window.
“The TV was on and I could see blood on the pillows. I could tell they were both dead.
“Kelly was dead. It was obvious from the position and the amount of blood there was nothing I could do for her."
He also said he found Needham lying in the hallway with the shotgun pointed at his head.
He then called 999.
The Sun reports he said: "I could feel the cold on the back of my head. Kelly was cold, Ava was cold and Lexi too was cold.”
The inquest was also told Needham was a secret cocaine user and, in the days leading up to 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, but a hair sample test showed he had been a "cocaine user".
It was also said that in the past he had been forced to see a doctor over the damage the drug had caused to his nose.
It was also said Needham had been suffering financial problems in the run-up to the Covid lockdown in March 2020.
The family had earlier moved into his family home to help care for his mother, Maureen, 77, after his father Rex, who suffered from Parkinson's disease, died in 2017.
They lived upstairs rent-free while his mother lived in a "granny flat" downstairs.
He 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, Needham found it difficult getting hold of building supplies and had to put the work extension on hold, it was said.
In a statement to the hearing, Kelly's twin sister, Emma Ambler, said she did not believe the couple had any serious money worries.
The inquest heard how Needham had a history of mental illness and an official caution for theft but omitted it when applying for a firearms licence in 2016.
He was issued with a firearms licence despite admitting the lies to a police officer, a coroner was told.
He then used the certificate to buy a semi-automatic shotgun shortly before killing his family.
Needham declared on the application he had never had a criminal conviction and had no history of mental health problems.
However, he had previously suffered at least two bouts of mental health problems in 2003 and 2013 and had been treated for depression, it was said.
He had also previously been issued with a caution from police for stealing a bicycle going back many years.
At the time of his application, a firearms enquiry officer from Hampshire Police questioned Needham at this home, the inquest heard.
When Needham was told his GP would be contacted in relation to the application he then told the cop about his mental health problems and admitted having a criminal conviction.
The hearing was told he told the officer he did not think they were relevant because they were a long time ago.
Chief Inspector Nigel Lecointe of Hampshire said he would have expected greater scrutiny of the application.
He said the omissions should have been a “cause for concern” and raised a red flag.
Guidance for firearms licensing in 2016 stated: “Whether the applicant is found to have made a false statement is of particular relevance.
"Deliberate failure to declare relevant convictions, medical conditions or medical history tends to show unfitness regardless of whether the certificate would have been refused if the appropriate declaration had been made.”
The firearms licence was approved by Sussex Police after Needham and the family moved to the county.
The hearing was told Hampshire Police was minded to grant the firearms certificate but Mr Needham moved home and the decision to grant final approval was transferred to the Sussex force.
Firearms licences are valid for five years.
Mr Lecointe told the court: “We should never be complacent about what we do. Our job is to try and do the right thing but we will make judgements with the best intentions. We won’t always get it right but we will try.”
The inquest continues.
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