Crossbow killer: Shot mum Laura Sugden describes fight for life

Shane Gilmer and Laura Sugden were shot by their next door neighbour in their house near Driffield

A mother has described fighting for her life with a man who killed her partner and shot her in the head with a crossbow bolt.

Laura Sugden confronted her next-door neighbour who had broken into her house via the loft and lay in wait for her and her partner to return home.

Ms Sugden, who was pregnant, forced off her attacker and escaped to get help.

Her partner Shane Gilmer, 30, was fatally injured in the confrontation in East Yorkshire in January 2018.

"I got my head into thinking if I'm going to die and Shane's going to die then I'm going to put up a fight," Ms Sugden said.

"Because ultimately, if that's going to be the outcome then I've just got to try. I'm not sure how I did, but I got some strength from somewhere.

"When somebody's done something like that to somebody you love something took over in my mind. To see Shane lying like that just hurt my heart so much."

Anthony Lawrence was found dead from a drugs overdose two days after the attack

An inquest heard that Anthony Lawrence, 55, blamed the couple for his eviction from his home.

He installed a device to listen to their conversations through the wall of the semi-detached house near Driffield after the couple complained to his landlord and police about loud music and the smell of cannabis seeping into her asthmatic daughter's bedroom.

She said the couple had no idea Lawrence had spent a year planning the attack.

"I would probably have said he was the type of person to have an argument with, but I certainly wouldn't have imagined the planning that's gone into that really," she said.

"It's quite scary that it was planned and obviously that he was listening to everything that we were saying. It's frightening really."

Lawrence used the loft to break into the couple's home, where he lay in wait for them before launching his attack

Lawrence shot Mr Gilmer, 30, through his arm and torso. He then shot Ms Sugden in the head with a bolt. When she pulled it out he grabbed it and stabbed her in the neck with it.

Ms Sugden said she tried to reason with Lawrence when he appeared on the staircase after dropping down from the loft.

"I tried to talk him round and say I would ring the letting agent and tell them that I made it up. I told him I would call Humberside Police and say we made it up. I told him we would move.

"Just begging him really."

Lawrence fled the scene after shooting the couple and was found dead of a drugs overdose two days later in a lay-by in North Yorkshire.

Ms Sugden with her two children Ella-Faith, 3, and Isabelle, 7

The mother-of-two said she still suffered from her injuries and part of the bolt is still lodged in her head.

However, she has delayed surgery to remove the metal as she does not want to upset her children any further.

"I had a baby when all this was going on and while I was still grieving and I think I just had to focus on them two," she said.

"They don't see me distressed. There's times obviously anniversaries, birthdays and things where they do see me get upset.

Ms Sugden is campaigning for crossbows to be licensed

"But in day-to-day life I try to alleviate the impact. It's already impacted them massively as it is and I don't need to put my feelings on to them as such."

The 30-year-old has launched a campaign to get crossbows licensed in the same way as shotguns.

"Everybody I've spoken to can't believe there is no regulations for these crossbows. I suppose everybody, like myself, thought there would be the same regulations as there would be for firearms.

"It's mind-blowing that anybody can just buy one."