Shotgunmurderer,82 is set to die in prison
Dog breeder will serve 25 years for double killing
AN 82-year-old dog breeder is likely to die in jail after he was sentenced to at least 25 years for shooting his partner and her daughter dead at his puppy farm.
John Lowe was sentenced at Guildford Crown Court after having been found guilty of murdering 66-year-old Christine Lee and Lucy Lee, 40, with his shotgun at his home near Farnham, Surrey.
Lowe, flanked by three security officers, winked at his supporters in the public gallery as he was led from the dock.
Passing sentence, Mr Justice Singh praised the “extraordinary courage” of Lucy Lee after she returned to face her killer following a frantic 999 call on the day of the shootings in February.
The jury at his trial was told Lowe wanted the women “put down”.
Stacy Banner, whose mother and sister were killed by Lowe, wept as the sentence was handed down.
In a victim impact statement read to the court she said she was “haunted by what Lowe has done” and said her grief “came crashing down” when she had to identify their bodies.
“Every time I close my eyes I see them,” she said. “I have nightmares. I’m haunted by what John did to them.”
Delivering his sentence, Mr Justice Singh said Lowe “lost his temper” when he took out his shotgun on February 23 to kill Christine Lee.
He said: “She died of a single shot wound to the chest fired at close range from above. Lucy was able to use her mobile phone to make a frantic and desperate call to the emergency services on 999.
“She said you had shot her mum and she feared you were going to shoot her as well.
“Nevertheless, in an act of extraordinary courage, she went back to see if there was anything she could do to help her mother.”
Lowe lived at Keepers Cottage Stud puppy farm for 45 years and the court heard he had been handling shotguns since the age of seven.
He was found guilty on Wednesday of two counts of murder and a third of possess- ing a firearm with intent to endanger life.
He was also sentenced to 10 years for possessing the firearm, to run concurrently.
Surrey Police have apologised for returning guns confiscated from Lowe nearly a year earlier. They were taken following an allegation that threats to kill had been made, but then returned to him four months later.
Three Surrey Police employees are being investigated for gross misconduct over the decision to return the weapons.