Jailed for life...ex-soldier who killed wife, her mum and dog
A FORMER soldier who gunned down his estranged wife, his mother-in-law and a pet dog was jailed for life yesterday.
Craig Savage executed his victims at point-blank range with an assault rifle he stole from a nearby gun range, a court heard.
Consumed by hatred after his wife Michelle, 32, had rejected his attempts at a reconciliation, Savage shot her seven times.
He shot his mother-in-law Heather Whitbread, 53, six times.
Savage, 35, also turned the gun on Zeus, a dog he loathed, jurors heard. The Staffordshire Bull Terrier was hit by six bullets.
During the killings on March 16, Mrs Savage’s pregnant sister, Raven Whitbread, 24, hid behind the sofa at the family home in St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex. She fled with her grandmother Patricia Groves, 80, who was also unharmed.
Lorry driver Savage, of no fixed abode, claimed the killings were an accident after he tripped during a struggle with his estranged wife.
However, jurors at Lewes Crown Court found him guilty of two counts of the murders. He was cleared of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life after he had been accused of trying to shoot police. Jailing him for life with a 38-year minimum term, Judge Maura McGowan told him: “The terror you caused Michelle and Heather was beyond description. You have devastated an entire family.” The couple were together nine years, including five years of marriage, before they split. In revenge, “controlling” Savage uploaded nude images of her on to porn websites.
Sussex Police is under investigation for the way it had handled Mrs Savage’s complaints against her husband.