The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
Harrowing details of the moment when suicidal dad-of-three Lance Hart shot dead his wife and daughter at Spalding’s swimming pool car park have been heard at an inquest into the three deaths today (Thursday).
A witness told of seeing Lance’s daughter Charlotte (19) walking towards him with her hands held up and her palms facing him moments before he shot her and then turned the shotgun on himself. Moments earlier he had shot dead his wife of 26 years, Claire, who had left him five days earlier after putting up with years of bullying and arguments.
The incident happened at 9am on July 19 this year. Among the items left in Lance’s car at the Castle Sports Complex was a 12-page document detailing why he carried out the double murder
Coroner Paul Cooper described the suicide letter as “quite cold and chilling”. The hearing was told the document appeared to have been compiled over several weeks. The Voice has decided to not publish some of the content highlighted out of respect for the couple’s sons, Luke and Ryan, who were not present.
In part of it, seemingly written the night before the killings, Lance (57) described how he had just enjoyed paella and wine while sitting in the sunshine.
“It’s lovely. It’s a shame it’s my last supper,” he said.
The inquest was told that Claire (50) described her husband as a “selfish and controlling man”. She had confided in fellow workers at Morrisons in Pinchbeck that she was secretly planning to leave him. He got wind that she was intending something and once got up in the middle of the night to hide all the keys to the house, her car and their safe containing £30,000.
Claire did leave the family home in Hatt Close, Moulton, on July 14, moving to a rented property in Spalding. The couple had agreed to meet at the swimming pool car park on the day they died to exchange personal documents.
Claire was a regular at the swimming pool and Charlotte often accompanied her, watching from the upstairs viewing area.
On July 19, following the loud sound of the shootings, Castle Sports Complex duty manager Alex Marchant rushed out of the swimming pool building to see what had happened.
He recognised Charlotte and went to give her first aid. She told him: “It was my dad who shot me.”
Claire and Lance were already dead and, despite the best efforts of several paramedics, Charlotte also died at the scene.
The coroner said he was satisfied that Lance had set out that day to commit the double murder and then kill himself. He concluded that Claire and Charlotte’s deaths were both “unlawful killing” and Lance’s was “suicide”.
Speaking after the hearing at Boston Coroner’s Court, Det Insp Helen Evans, of East Midlands Special Operations Unit, major crime Unit, said: “On the morning of Tuesday 19 July, Spalding witnessed a shocking incident which was extremely difficult for the community to comprehend.
“Members of the public immediately rushed to the aid of the victims, as did our officers and East Midlands Ambulance Service. Tragically, the efforts of all involved could not save the victims, but I would like to thank those who made every effort to help.
“We have conducted a thorough investigation into the weapon used by Lance Hart. He was not a registered shotgun certificate holder and we have been unable to establish how or when he obtained it.
“I would like to reassure the local community that incidents of this nature are incredibly rare.
“Our thoughts remain with Luke and Ryan Hart and the rest of their family, and also friends of the victims.”
