Father who killed partner and children in lockdown ‘lied on shotgun application form’

Robert Needham did not initially disclose history of mental health issues and police caution, inquest hears

Robert Needham, 42, shot and killed his partner and daughters in March 2020 (PA Media)

A father who killed his partner and young children during the first Covid lockdown lied on his shotgun application form, an inquest has been told.

It heard Robert Needham did not disclose a police caution and his history of mental health issues when applying for a licence that was granted.

He shot and killed 40-year-old Kelly Fitzgibbons, and daughters Ava and Lexi Needham, aged four and two, at their home in West Sussex shortly after England went into its first lockdown.

An inquest in Horsham heard the 42-year-old used a shotgun on his family before turning the gun on himself.

Needham brought the gun nine days before the shooting at the family home in Woodmancote on 29 March 2020.

He was first granted a shotgun licence in 2016 by Sussex Police, after moving to the area following an initial application to Hampshire Police.

Chief Superintendent Nigel Lecointe, from Hampshire Police, told the inquest Needham did not declare any police cautions or convictions, or any relevant medical conditions including depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts, in his application form.

During the application process, a firearms enquiry officer visited Needham to complete a face-to-face interview at his home and said police would check its database and speak to Needham‘s GP to assess his suitability to own a firearm.

At that point, Needham admitted he had not disclosed a police caution he received aged 25 due to his involvement in a bicycle theft. When asked why he did not disclose it on the form, he said he did not think it was relevant.

Kelly Fitzgibbons, Ava Needham, and Lexi Needham were shot dead by Robert Needham in March 2020(Family handout/PA) (PA Media)

Needham also said it was his partner Fitzgibbons who filled out the form because “he didn’t write well” and she did not know about the caution so could not include it.

During the inquest, Ms Fitzgibbons’ sister Emma Ambler said she had seen the form and is certain it was written in Needham‘s handwriting.

Needham also admitted he had been treated for depression as a teenager in the 1990s and visited his GP in 2013 due to workplace stress. When asked why he did not disclose it on the form, Needham said the treatment was a long time ago and therefore did not think it was relevant.

Hampshire Police was sent a letter from Needham’s GP confirming this - and also revealing the father-of-two was treated for depression another time in 2003.

Despite this, Needham was still granted a shotgun certificate in 2016 by Sussex Police, having received details of the investigation from Hampshire Police.

When asked how common it was for people to be dishonest on the application form, Chief Inspector Lecointe said: “It’s not very common but it does happen.”

He said officers consider whether the applicant intended to “deliberately” deceive or just felt the information was not relevant.

Chief Inspector Simon Starns of Sussex and Surrey Police, who has headed the firearms department since 2019, told the inquest Needham‘s application in 2016 and his subsequent renewal of the shotgun licence and application for a firearm licence in 2017 “would not have been approved today”.

This is because Needham’s GP surgery was unable to comment on his suitability - which has been a requirement since 2020.

The inquest heard a tribute from Fitzgibbon’s twin sister earlier this week, who called her loss “incomprehensible”.

“She really was one in a million and I take comfort in the fact that she was by my side as my sister and my best friend for 40 years,” Emma Ambler’s statement - read out by the assistant coroner - said.

She also paid tribute to her nieces Ava, who she described as “beautiful and angelic”, and Lexi, who was “cheeky” and had the “signature Fitzgibbons curly hair”.

The inquest continues on Friday.

Additional reporting by Press Association