Police called by bailiffs coming to evict couple found them dead

Police called by bailiffs coming to evict couple from their Goring Heath home found them dead in nearby woods with two ‘suicide notes’ inside the property, inquest hears

• John Richardson, 74, and Angela, 64, were found in a wood near Goring Heath
• The couple were due to be evicted from their home by bailiffs who called police
• They were found with gunshot wounds by the police on June 8
• A full inquest will be held for the pair on January 18 next year 
• For support call the Samaritans on 116123 or go to www.samaritans.org.

A couple were found with gunshot wounds on the day bailiffs came to evict them, an inquest heard.

Publisher and journalist John Richardson, 74, was found in woodland near his Goring Heath home together with wife Angela, a 64-year-old company director, at 10.50am on June 8.

They were found by police officers, called by a bailiff who was at Bensgrove Farm, the couple’s property, to evict them.

They were found by police officers, called by a bailiff who was at Bensgrove Farm, the couple’s property, to evict them

Opening an inquest into the couple’s death on Thursday, senior coroner for Oxfordshire Darren Salter said: ‘There is a reference to Mr Richardson struggling with financial difficulties.

‘On June 8, bailiffs attended their property in respect of eviction, it is said.

‘Upon their arrival, the enforcement officer and the landlord found a note on the door to say that they were in the wood at the top of the garden and to notify the police.

‘Police were called and located the bodies of a male and female outside the garden in the wood with gunshot injuries.

‘A handwritten note and a typed note were found inside the property in the nature of suicide notes.’

Post-mortems had been conducted on the bodies of Mr and Mrs Richardson and the cause of death given in both cases as gunshot wounds. Mr Richardson had been shot in the chest, the coroner’s court heard.

The couple were identified to police officer DC Jim Armitage by Mr Richardson’s brother-in-law.

A full inquest will be held on January 18 next year.

For support call the Samaritans on 116123 or go to www.samaritans.org. 

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