Gun dealer who shot and killed wife convicted of manslaughter

A 52-year-old gun dealer has been convicted of manslaughter after he shot and killed his wife in Suffolk earlier this year.

Peter Hartshorne-Jones, who lived in The Green in Barham, appeared before Ipswich Crown Court today (Thursday, October 15) where he was convicted of manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility.

His wife, solicitor Silke Hartshorne-Jones was taken to Ipswich Hospital on Sunday, May 3 around 5am after police were called to reports of a shooting.

A Home Office post-mortem examination concluded that Mrs Hartshorne-Jones, 41, died as a result of a gunshot wound to the chest.  Peter Hartshorne-Jones was subsequently charged with murder, which he denied because of a mental health condition.

He was assessed by two consultant forensic psychiatrists and they concluded that at the time of the attack, he had an 'abnormality of mental functioning' providing an explanation for his conduct in killing his wife.

Hartshorne-Jones has been remanded in custody and will be sentenced at Ipswich Crown Court in January next year.