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| John Lowe guilty of Farnham puppy farm murders | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A pensioner has been found guilty of murdering his partner and her daughter after he shot them both dead at his puppy farm in Surrey. | A pensioner has been found guilty of murdering his partner and her daughter after he shot them both dead at his puppy farm in Surrey. |
| John Lowe, 82, from Farnham, had denied two counts of murder and a firearms charge. | John Lowe, 82, from Farnham, had denied two counts of murder and a firearms charge. |
| During the trial at Guildford Crown Court, Lowe claimed the deaths of Christine Lee, 66, and Lucy Lee, 40, were "a terrible accident". | During the trial at Guildford Crown Court, Lowe claimed the deaths of Christine Lee, 66, and Lucy Lee, 40, were "a terrible accident". |
| But jurors heard he told police he wanted both women "put down". | |
| The court heard a frantic 999 call from Lucy Lee, who told the operator: "I don't know if I'm going to be alive if I go back in there. He shot my mum." | The court heard a frantic 999 call from Lucy Lee, who told the operator: "I don't know if I'm going to be alive if I go back in there. He shot my mum." |
| 'Scene of carnage' | |
| Mark Dennis QC, prosecuting, told the trial police officers were met with a "scene of carnage" when they arrived at the farm in February. | Mark Dennis QC, prosecuting, told the trial police officers were met with a "scene of carnage" when they arrived at the farm in February. |
| Christine Lee's body was found inside the main building, while the body of Lucy Lee was discovered outside, near the animal pens. | Christine Lee's body was found inside the main building, while the body of Lucy Lee was discovered outside, near the animal pens. |
| Following the verdict, Christine Lee's sister, Julia James, said: "John Lowe will never pay for taking the innocent lives of my sister Christine and my niece Lucy Lee. | |
| "Christine and Lucy put the needs of others first, my sister had a heart of gold and was full of life. Lucy believed in protecting life and being kind to others." | |
| She added: "I witnessed on numerous occasions how caring Christine and Lucy had been towards Lowe. It has been heart-breaking listening to his lies." | |
| Lowe told the court he never intended to kill the women and his gun went off three times accidently. | |
| He had a "love-hate relationship" with the women and felt they were trying to control his affairs, it was said. | |
| After the shooting, Lowe told PC Richard McEwan: "They had to be put down, there was nothing else I could do. | |
| "I have had terrible problems with Christine. They wouldn't let me eat." | |
| Another officer, PC Christopher Fairclough, was also told by Lowe: "I am not sorry. I am out of the problem. They are causing me problems every day." | |
| Christine Lee had been shot in the chest from less than a foot away and Lucy Lee received a fatal shot to the back of the head, according to post-mortem tests. | |
| Lowe will be sentenced at Guildford Crown Court on 31 October. |