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Christopher Parry guilty of murdering wife Caroline Parry | Christopher Parry guilty of murdering wife Caroline Parry |
(35 minutes later) | |
A man murdered his wife by shooting her twice in the back because he could not accept she had left him. | |
Mother-of-two Caroline Parry, 49, was shot at close range by her "controlling and dominant" husband on a residential street near her home last August. | |
She had left Christopher Parry, 50, after 27 years of unhappiness, so he shot her and turned the gun on himself. | |
He had denied murder, saying he only meant to shoot himself, but a jury at Newport Crown Court found him guilty. | |
The court heard the shooting was a "carefully planned scheme" by a man "not prepared to let go". | |
Mrs Parry was gunned down by her estranged husband after leaving the home she shared with her new partner in Newport. | |
She had left the father of her two children after she met another man, Gary Bidmead, while walking her dog. | |
Mr Bidmead spoke to her after he saw her crying and asked if she was okay. They began a friendship which gradually blossomed into something more and they moved in together six months later - a development her estranged husband could not accept. | |
The jury heard Parry had kept his wife "under surveillance" in the months leading up to the shooting, and phoned her persistently. | The jury heard Parry had kept his wife "under surveillance" in the months leading up to the shooting, and phoned her persistently. |
On the morning he killed her, Parry had been waiting for his wife in Seabreeze Avenue, and when he saw her got a semi-automatic shotgun from the boot of his car. | |
He shot her twice in the back at close range before turning the gun himself in a suicide attempt which failed, but resulted in horrific head injuries. | |
Parry told a psychiatrist his "intention was to kill himself in front of his wife to make her realise the torment she had put him through", the court heard. | Parry told a psychiatrist his "intention was to kill himself in front of his wife to make her realise the torment she had put him through", the court heard. |
But the reality was that during her marriage she had been controlled by her husband to such an extent that she was only allowed to stay with her mother once a month and she had to be in by 7pm. | But the reality was that during her marriage she had been controlled by her husband to such an extent that she was only allowed to stay with her mother once a month and she had to be in by 7pm. |
Prosecutor Michael Mather-Lees QC said: "Such was the state of the marriage she left and went to live with her mother, telling her husband she would never go back to him. | Prosecutor Michael Mather-Lees QC said: "Such was the state of the marriage she left and went to live with her mother, telling her husband she would never go back to him. |
"But he could not accept the fact that his wife had left him after years of unhappiness." | "But he could not accept the fact that his wife had left him after years of unhappiness." |
Parry, who had a shotgun licence and kept three firearms at his Cwmbran home, was a driver for the Celtic Manor Resort. The court heard he had a history of mental illness and depression dating back over 10 years. | Parry, who had a shotgun licence and kept three firearms at his Cwmbran home, was a driver for the Celtic Manor Resort. The court heard he had a history of mental illness and depression dating back over 10 years. |
After being discharged from hospital two months after the shooting, Parry was sectioned under the Mental Health Act. | After being discharged from hospital two months after the shooting, Parry was sectioned under the Mental Health Act. |
A jury delivered a majority verdict of 10-1 after deliberating since Friday. | A jury delivered a majority verdict of 10-1 after deliberating since Friday. |
After the verdict, Det Supt Bill Davies said: "The court has determined Christopher Parry was responsible for the murder of his estranged wife. This is a tragic case that resulted in the death of Caroline - the loss of a mother, daughter, sister and friend to many. Our condolences remain with those who have suffered her loss." | |
Parry was not present in the dock for the verdict with the judge's permission. He will be sentenced at a later date. | Parry was not present in the dock for the verdict with the judge's permission. He will be sentenced at a later date. |