Harrowing audio is released of the 999 call made by Lucy Lee as she begged for help shortly before she was shot by John Lowe. An investigation is ongoing into why police had returned his guns to him.
John Lowe, from Farnham, was found guilty today over the murders of Christine Lee, 66, and her daughter Lucy, 41, following a trial at Guildford Crown Court.
The women’s bodies were discovered at his dog breeding farm in Waverley Lane, Tilford, on 23 February.
During the case the jury were played a 999 emergency call from Lucy Lee in which she stated her mother had been shot by 82-year-old Lowe. She said: “I’m running outside the house, I don’t know if he’s going to shoot me…I don’t know if I’m going to be alive if I go back in there”.
Listen to the 999 call here:
listen to ‘John Lowe murder trial: “I think my mother’s just been shot…I’m running for my life”’ on audioBoom
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Christine’s daughter, Stacy Banner, said: “The shotgun was one of seven that had been returned to him by the police only months before he used it to kill.”
Ms Banner, who said she and others had “repeatedly warned” the police about the danger Lowe posed to society, added: “John Lowe pulled the trigger but it was the Surrey Police who put the gun in his hands.”
Stacy Banner speaking outside court
Surrey Police apologised to the family for allowing Lowe’s shotguns to be returned to him following an assessment by firearms licensing officers in July 2013 after they were confiscated the previous March.
John Lowe pulled the trigger but it was the Surrey Police who put the gun in his hands Stacy Banner
The force said two reports had indicated the decision was “flawed” and vowed to “co-operate fully” with an Independent Police Complaints Commission investigation.
In a statement, a Surrey Police spokesperson said:
“Three Surrey Police employees remain subject to a gross misconduct investigation and, as a result of the two independent reports, the IPCC have re-determined that going forward, this will now be an independent investigation led by them. We continue to co-operate fully with their investigation.
“We are also instigating the recommendations from both reports and reviewing all cases where licences and firearms have been removed and returned to their holders in the last three years.”