Kelly Fitzgibbons: Gun victim's twin to be consulted in review

The twin sister of a woman shot dead by her partner is take part in a consultation on gun licensing laws.

Emma Ambler's sister Kelly Fitzgibbons and her two daughters were killed in Sussex in March 2020 by partner Robert Needham, who then killed himself.

Ms Ambler, of Birmingham, campaigns for tougher laws on gun ownership after an inquest heard Needham lied on his shotgun application to police.

She said Kelly was "giving her the power she needed to get changes made".

Ms Ambler met with the Home Office on Monday in her bid to tighten up the gun licensing process.

The visit comes before the third anniversary of the deaths of Ms Fitzgibbons and her daughters Ava and Lexi, who were shot dead at their home in Woodmancote, West Sussex, on 29 March 2020.

An inquest heard Needham lied about a caution for theft on his shotgun application which could have been picked up if it had been scrutinised.

Mr Needham had not disclosed a previous conviction, nor that he had been treated for depression. And even though his dishonesty was discovered by police, he was granted a licence anyway.

Ms Ambler said there was evidence to suggest the current guidance surrounding gun laws was not being followed robustly enough.

She added there were issues surrounding medical checks, the cost of licences and frequencies of reviews.

Ms Ambler told the BBC the Home Office had invited her to be part of a consultation on licensing with a view to changing guidance.

"It feels very surreal that I'm here, but Kelly is giving me the power I need to get changes made," she said.

"The guidance will be republished later at the end of this year and there was a further commitment that I could be involved in that," Ms Ambler added.

In March a coroner said a "root and branch reform" of firearms legislation was needed after a mass shooting in Plymouth.

Jake Davison, 22, used a legally-held shotgun to kill his mother and four others before shooting himself.

In a preventing future deaths report, coroner Ian Arrow said current gun laws were "at odds with public safety".

The government said it had already taken steps to tighten firearms licensing, including social media checks and sharing of GP information.

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