Plymouth shooting: 'Grief continuing' after inquest, charity says

Psychologist Jacqui Stedmon, from charity Jeremiah's Journey, said "hope and recovery" were now needed in Plymouth

An inquest for the victims of the Plymouth shooting may "bring up some of the grief again", a charity helping support families affected has said.

Jake Davison killed his mother and four other people, including a girl aged three, in the Keyham area of the city with a shotgun in August 2021.

An inquest jury concluded the five victims were unlawfully killed.

Jacqui Stedmon, lead psychologist at Jeremiah's Journey, said "hope and recovery" now needed to "dominate".

Commenting on the inquest, Ms Stedmon said: "I think it will draw a line under what people wanted to know in terms of an explanation of what happened.

"But that in itself has aroused a lot of anger and has probably aroused a lot of grief again."

bereavement services manager James Walbank said people affected would be grieving and angry

James Walbank, who is the bereavement services manager at the charity, said grief "isn't a linear process".

"There are families that are more resilient than others; there are individuals who before that time were vulnerable and the impact has been really damaging," he said.

"Yes, people will move on, but they'll move on differently.

"It means it will bring up some of the anger again about how that firearm was accessible, and it will bring up some of the grief again.

"There will be, I expect, a sense of relief that the process is over. But the grief continues."