Distraught uncle recalls moment he found girls, 2 & 4, slaughtered by dad who killed family then turned gun on himself
A TORMENTED uncle has recalled the moment he discovered his niece and her two children after they were shot dead by their dad.
Robert James Needham, 42, used a licensed and legally owned shotgun to kill Ava, four and Lexi, two, as they lay in bed.
He then shot partner Kelly Fitzgibbons, 40, before turning the gun on himself during the first Covid lockdown, an inquest was told.
Kelly’s uncle, Ronald Peacock, described the moment he found their bodies at their home in the village of Woodmancote, West Sussex.
He told the hearing today how he had climbed through an open window into the couple's bedroom after hearing from Needham's mum.
Mr Peacock added: "I realised I could see Ava’s head on the bed, under the duvet. Both girls laying side by side in the bed.
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“I could see Kelly on the floor, near the door. Rob was on the floor in the hallway.
“I climbed through the window.
“The TV was on and I could see blood on the pillows. I could tell they were both dead.
“Kelly was dead. It was obvious from the position and the amount of blood there was nothing I could do for her."
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The uncle told how he found Needham lying in the hallway with the shotgun, which had a 3ft barrel, pointed at his head.
The family's dog Billy was also dead, with Mr Peacock calling 999 before returning to the house.
He said: "I could feel the cold on the back of my head. Kelly was cold, Ava was cold and Lexi too was cold.”
The inquest was told Needham had begun using cocaine in the months before lockdown was imposed.
He tried twice to buy the drug in the days before slaughtering his family.
Forensic toxicologist Dr John Slaughter told the hearing Needham was not under the influence of cocaine or alcohol but could have been suffering from withdrawal symptoms.
Family and friends did not report any tension between the couple and there were no reports of financial or marital difficulties.
'THEY WERE HER WORLD'
The inquest heard how legal secretary Kelly died from shotgun injuries to the head and neck.
Medics also found a shotgun wound on her arm, which was described as "defensive".
Paying tribute to her identical twin sister, Emma Ambler said Kelly wanted to be a mum more than anything.
She said: "Kelly and I had an idyllic and happy childhood and we would spend hours playing together, making up dance routines and plays to show the family.
"In school Kelly had lots of friends, she did well and school came easy to her.
"Nobody made me laugh as much as Kelly. She was an amazing sister. She was so caring and she treated my children like her own.
"Kelly longed for children for a number of years so she was thrilled when she fell pregnant. They were her whole world and she was so proud of those beautiful girls."
Ms Ambler described losing Kelly as "incomprehensible" after the twins "always said we couldn't live without each other".
She added: "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."
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Ms Ambler 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.
