Norfolk council leader abused wife and planned her murder, inquest hears
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Version 0 of 1. A council leader and former mayor abused his wife behind closed doors for almost a decade before laying out wills and funeral instructions, then luring her to her death. Keith Johnson, 58, shot his wife Andrea, 44, dead outside their home in Compit Hills, near Cromer, Norfolk, before turning the gun on himself on 2 December. After an inquest at Norfolk coroner's court, a domestic violence homicide review was published detailing how the leader of North Norfolk district council abused his wife. Police and health professionals had not been aware of the violence, which came to light in a diary found after Andrea Johnson's death. On the day of the killings, Johnson armed himself with his wife's shotgun and invited her back to their bungalow, promising he would not harm her, the inquest heard. Coroner William Armstrong concluded that Andrea Johnson suffered an unlawful death while Johnson killed himself. He said: "These deaths could not have been foreseen by the police, by medical professionals or anybody else concerned." Armstrong said: "The killing of Andrea by Keith was not committed in a moment of madness or while his ability to control his actions was impaired. "The killing was deliberate. He made a decision to kill Andrea and then to kill himself." Gaynor Mears, who wrote the report, said the case highlighted that domestic violence existed within all social classes and said people should not be blinded by a person's public image. She told the inquest: "It happens in urban areas, rural areas and across all social stratas." The couple, who had no children, had been together for almost 20 years and married in 2004. They were in an open relationship, with both having affairs. The inquest heard Johnson threw customer services worker Andrea Johnson out of their bungalow the previous night because he felt she was impeding his career. He invited her back the next day with the promise that he would not be violent. He was waiting for her with a shotgun and police found a series of notes, including details of how to dispose of the estate and how the couple should be buried, suggesting he had planned the murder. Detective Sergeant Paul Brownsell said: "Earlier that morning he settled a paper bill, went to see his mother and got out various wills and wrote various notes which were left on display on a kitchen worktop. "He was usually gregarious and larger than life but, from our investigations, it would appear that he was subdued and not himself." After being asked to leave the house, Andrea Johnson went to stay with Robert Jeans, with whom she was in a "close relationship". The next morning she asked Mr Jeans to drive her back to the bungalow. "He promised he wouldn't hurt her if she went back home to talk to him," Jeans said. Mrs Johnson called the police at 2.28pm as the incident unfolded. The call handler heard an explosion and somebody crying out. Neighbour Briar Feek was the first on the scene. She found Mrs Johnson lying in her driveway and called 999. Paramedics instructed her how to resuscitate Mrs Johnson but there was nothing she could do, the inquest heard. "I could not feel any pulse," she said. "I heard another muffled bang. There was about five to eight minutes between the bangs." Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. |