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Judge's death 'was not accident' | |
(about 1 hour later) | |
The mistress of a judge who died in an explosion in his garden shed told an inquest he did not die by accident. | |
Kerry Sparrow, 38, was giving evidence at Glastonbury Town Hall at the inquest into the death of Judge Andrew Chubb at his home in Chard, Somerset, in 2001. | |
Miss Sparrow, who stormed out of the inquest during her evidence but later returned, said the judge had told his wife of the affair just before he died. | |
She said: "I do not believe Andrew died accidentally or by his own hand." | |
He said he would call me later that night - he did not call Kerry Sparrow | |
Before the weekend of his death, Ms Sparrow claimed her lover was feeling "apprehensive" about returning to his home. | |
Recalling the night of his death, she said: "He phoned me to say he was about 10 minutes from the house. | |
"He said he would talk to her. He said he would not do anything to hurt me. | |
"He said he would call me later that night. He did not call." | |
Heavily drugged | |
Ms Sparrow explained how a phone call she had made to his house triggered Mr Chubb to admit the relationship. | |
Miss Sparrow said: "Andrew told me that as a result of my call he had told her. Later on he said he was in his car and had to get away from the house quickly." | |
The inquest is likely to end on Friday | The inquest is likely to end on Friday |
Earlier she had stormed from the inquest when asked to read a statement she gave to police a week after the judge's death. | |
She said she could not read the statement as it was not true and she had been bullied by officers into giving it. | |
"I did sign it," she told the coroner. "But I didn't read it because I was so heavily tranquillised." | |
It is the second inquest into Mr Chubb's death after the judge's mistress won a High Court battle to reopen the case. | |
It also heard from a forensic pathologist who criticised the results of the original post-mortem examination. | |
Dr Hugh White told the inquest at Glastonbury Town Hall on Wednesday that they were "insufficient", "confusing" and "did not make sense". | Dr Hugh White told the inquest at Glastonbury Town Hall on Wednesday that they were "insufficient", "confusing" and "did not make sense". |
The Home Office forensic pathologist said it would be impossible, from the evidence in the findings, to come to the conclusion that Mr Chubb had burned to death. | The Home Office forensic pathologist said it would be impossible, from the evidence in the findings, to come to the conclusion that Mr Chubb had burned to death. |
The case continues. | The case continues. |