Driffield crossbow killing: Victim to meet with Home Office

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 is due to meet with the Home Office to discuss tighter ownership rules.

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

Laura Sugden, who was also injured, has gathered 40,000 signatures supporting tougher laws for crossbows owners.

The Home Secretary ordered a review into stricter controls after a man entered the grounds of Windsor Castle with a crossbow on Christmas Day.

Ms Sugden has called for similar checks for ownership to those required for holding a shotgun licence.

Speaking about the meeting in May, she said: "I'm hopeful that being asked to attend a meeting shows that somebody is listening.

"It's quite promising, I haven't got any high hopes for it but it's more than I've had in the last year, so it can only be a good thing."

Ms Sugden says she'll continue to campaign for a new law "until somebody listens"

Ms Sugden, who was pregnant at the time, and Mr Gilmer were attacked by Lawrence after he broke into their home in Southburn, near Driffield, on 12 January 2018.

Lawrence was later found dead in a motor home in the North York Moors.

Ms Sugden said 'Shane's Law', bringing stricter controls, would be a fitting legacy for Mr Gilmer.

"He would have done exactly the same thing, I know one hundred percent he wouldn't have stopped until he'd got that law through - that alone gives me enough fight to keep going," she added.

In May 2021, a coroner called for tighter laws over their sale and ownership and warned the Home Secretary and the Crime and Policing Minister "further deaths will occur" without a rule change.

When the review was announced in December the Home Office said the department was "considering options to strengthen controls on crossbows".