25 years for double killer

AN 82-YEAR-OLD man has been jailed for life for murdering his partner and her daughter whom he shot at close range at his puppy farm.

John Lowe, who killed Christine Lee and Lucy Lee in Surrey in February, was told yesterday he would serve a minimum of 25 years.

The jury at his trial at Guildford Crown Court was told Lowe wanted the women “put down”.

Surrey Police has apologised for returning guns confiscated from Lowe nearly a year before the shooting.

Sentencing him, Mr Justice Singh praised the “extraordinary courage” of Lucy Lee after she returned to face her killer following a frantic 999 call.

In a victim impact statement, her sister, Stacy Banner, said she was “haunted by what Lowe had done”.

Three Surrey Police employees are being investigated for gross misconduct over the decision to return the weapons.