Couple ‘reported’ crossbow killer year before attic raid
A COUPLE targeted by a crossbow maniac who killed one of them and seriously injured the other had reported him to the police a year before.
Shane Gilmer and his partner Laura Sugden had made a “number of reports” that dated back to January 2017, the Independent Office for Police Conduct said.
But on January 12, neighbour Anthony Howarth, 55, crept into their home through an adjoining attic in Southburn, Humberside. He waited for them to return from a night out before he murdered Shane, 30. Pregnant Laura, 27, received neck injuries. Howarth was found dead in a car in North Yorkshire the next day. Locals said the couple had complained about him growing cannabis and he was about to be evicted from his rented home. The IOPC said: “Our investigation will bring clarity.”