Partner of crossbow victim 'hopeful' on law change

Shane Gilmer died after he and partner Laura Sugden were shot by a crossbow-wielding neighbour

The partner of a man murdered by their neighbour with a crossbow said she was "hopeful" that tighter ownership laws would be introduced.

Shane Gilmer, 30, was killed by Anthony Lawrence in East Yorkshire in 2018.

Laura Sugden, who was also injured in the attack, has campaigned for tougher rules since the inquest into Mr Gilmer's death.

The Home Office has launched a call for evidence to look at whether there should be a licensing system for the weapons.

Ms Sugden, who has previously discussed legislation with the Government, gathered 42,000 signatures to a petition when she first called for changes.

She told the BBC any new rules need to be meaningful, because "lists of names and addresses won't make much of a difference".

An inquest into Shane Gilmer's death heard how one of the crossbows had been altered to make it "more lethal"

The 33-year-old was pregnant when she and Mr Gilmer were attacked in their home in Southburn, near Driffield, on 12 January 2018.

Their attacker, Anthony Lawrence, was later found dead in a motor home in the North York Moors.

She said: "Personally, I would like to see them [crossbows] brought in line with firearms. They should have a licence and police checks as they would if it was a shotgun.

"They're never going to be banned, but if there is some kind of legislation, hopefully it will prevent these events from happening again."

In May 2021 at Mr Gilmer's inquest, the coroner called for tighter laws around the ownership and sale of crossbows, warning "further deaths will occur" without a rule change.

The Home Office questionnaire closes on 9 April.

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