Dad-to-be killed in crossbow attack over eviction threat

Shane Gilmer and Laura Sugden were attacked in their home in Southburn, near Driffield

A man killed his neighbour and shot a pregnant woman "in the head" with a crossbow after being told he would be evicted, an inquest has heard.

Shane Gilmer, 30, and Laura Sugden were attacked in their East Yorkshire home by Anthony Lawrence when they returned from a night out in January 2018.

Mr Gilmer died in hospital and Ms Sugden was left seriously injured.

Hull Coroner's Court heard Lawrence broke into their home via an adjoining loft before launching his attack.

The couple had returned to their home in Southburn, near Driffield, on 12 January 2018 when Ms Sugden found Lawrence standing in a bedroom brandishing a crossbow, the jury heard.

The couple lived next door to Lawrence, who got into their home by breaking an adjoining loft wall

Lawrence shot Mr Gilmer and the bolt passed through his right arm, breaking a rib, damaging his liver and kidney as it embedded in his spine. Lawrence also fired at Ms Sugden, who was 20 weeks pregnant at the time.

Giving evidence in court, a tearful Ms Sugden said: "I asked him what he did to Shane and he said he was going to kill me as well.

"I was trying to reason with him."

Ms Sugden pleaded with Lawrence that the couple had nothing to do with his eviction but he told her "he'd been listening to me and Shane for a year and he knew it was us that had reported him".

"Then he shot me in the head."

Ms Sugden told the jury she pulled the arrow out of her head but Lawrence took it and pushed it into her neck.

As Mr Gilmer lay injured on the bedroom floor, he told his partner to get help and "keep you and baby safe", she said.

Ms Sugden escaped to a neighbour's home and called the emergency services, telling them her throat had been cut by a crossbow bolt.

Anthony Lawrence was found dead in a lay-by in the North York Moors days after the attack

In a statement, the neighbour, Zoe Rymer, said Ms Sugden was "drenched in blood", with a "gaping hole" in her neck.

The couple were both taken to Hull Royal Infirmary but Mr Gilmer suffered a cardiac arrest and died in the early hours of 13 January.

"Laura received life-saving treatment at Hull Royal Infirmary and survived," senior coroner Prof Paul Marks said.

Prof Marks heard there had been "various disputes" between the neighbours about Lawrence playing loud music, with one argument culminating in Mr Gilmer being threatened with an axe.

On another occasion horse manure was dumped in the couple's garden.

The court heard Ms Sugden had complained to police and alerted the letting agency about "horrendous" cannabis fumes emanating from Lawrence's house which entered her daughter's bedroom, aggravating her asthma.

Prof Marks said he would be writing a report about the "completely unregulated" sales of crossbows at the end of the five-day hearing.

The inquest continues.