Woman shot by husband on Valentine's Day after trying to escape relationship

A woman was shot and killed by her husband outside a pub on Valentine's Day after trying to leave the relationship, an inquest heard.

Lisa Smith, 43, was shot twice in the neck in the car park of The Three Horseshoes in Knockholt, Kent, on 14 February this year.

She had earlier told her sister she was leaving her husband, Edward Smith, and had got on a train from their home in Slough to stay with family in Kent.

Mr Smith tracked her down at the pub that evening before blocking her friend's car with his and firing four shots with a handgun, Kent and Medway Coroner's Court heard.

On Wednesday, area coroner Katrina Hepburn concluded Ms Smith died from unlawful killing and found "requisite intent from Edward Smith to kill her or cause her really serious harm".

After killing his wife, Mr Smith, also known as Edvard Stockings, sent voice notes to someone he called "Nana", saying: "I've shot Lisa, she's dead."

He then jumped to his death from the Queen Elizabeth II bridge in Dartford later that evening.

In one of the voice notes he alluded to suicide and stated: "Hopefully I'm going to get into heaven with my wife."

Detective Sergeant James Dolby told the court that Ms Smith was picked up at Orpington station by her friends and sister shortly before they went to the pub.

Just before 7pm, Ms Smith was in the passenger seat of her friend's car in the pub car park when her husband arrived, having called her and her friends multiple times while looking for her.

There was a "verbal altercation" between him and Ms Smith's sister, Laura, who called him a "narcissist" inside the pub before he got back in his car and left.

DS Dolby said Mr Smith then went on to block the Seat car from exiting.

The first two shots from his handgun were fired from inside his own vehicle.

The coroner said: "He pulled forward in the car and fired a second shot, he was seen to exit the vehicle with arms outstretched holding a handgun and firing a shot through the driver's side car window."

It was this third shot that caused "fatal damage" to Ms Smith's neck, before he came around to the passenger side and fired at her again from close range.

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"Four shots were fired, the first two from within his vehicle towards the Seat. There were no injuries consistent with the trajectory of those first two bullets," said Ms Hepburn.

Despite CPR from members of the public and emergency services, Ms Smith died from her injuries at 7.42pm.

Setting out her conclusion, the coroner said: "I am satisfied on the balance of probabilities that a short form conclusion of unlawful killing would be safe and appropriate to set out in this manner.

"There was intent to find Lisa Smith after she had left her home address and once she was found the car she was seated in was blocked, preventing any exit."

An inquest into the death of Mr Smith will take place this afternoon.

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