Pensioner 'killed wife at home before fatal crash'

A pensioner with a history of mental illness is believed to have bludgeoned his wife to death with a rubber mallet before apparently killing himself by driving his Smart car into a tree.

The body of Sue Goswell, 63, was found on Sunday with head injuries and stab wounds at the home she shared with her husband of 46 years, Roger Goswell.

Mr Goswell, 66, died the same evening after being found unconscious in his car, which had crashed into a tree near their home in West Chiltington, West Sussex.

Yesterday, family described Mr Goswell as a "tortured soul" and said they believed the couple had been "let down by the system".

In a statement, their children Sarah, Joseph, Rebecca and son-in-law Alex said: "We would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to our beloved mother, Sue.

"She was a wonderful parent, wife and friend to many. Our father, Roger Goswell, was a tortured soul and, unfortunately, in the end we feel that they were both let down by the system."

Mr Goswell, who had been recently released after a spell in a psychiatric hospital, was taken to hospital with serious injuries after his car crash.

Police officers who were trying to contact his wife visited the family home where they found a hand-written note on the door, believed to have been written by Mr Goswell, which read "Police entry only".