Mental breakdown man who shot wife has firearms certificate for 18 guns

A businessman who shot dead his wife had been legally allowed to keep an arsenal of weapons, the Old Bailey was told yesterday. Despite suffering a mental breakdown, David Wells, 49, of Stamford Hill, north London, had certificates for 18 guns, including shotguns and handguns.

Wells, who was jailed for five years for manslaughter, twice attacked his wife Judith, 43, believing she was having an affair, in the months leading up to the killing last January. But the licensing authorities were never notified and no steps were taken to revoke the licences.