A twin whose sister and two nieces were shot dead by her brother-in-law is calling on the government to make it harder for people to own a gun. It was the first week of lockdown in March 2020 when Rob Needham, 42, murdered his fiancee Kelly Fitzgibbons, 40, and their daughters, Ava, four, and Lexi, two , with a shotgun in the family home before turning it on himself. There had been no signs of domestic violence and no obvious motive behind the murder-suicide .
Kelly’s twin, Emma Ambler, now 44, wants ministers to ban people from keeping rifles and shotguns in their homes after the bloodbath in Woodmancote, West Sussex. Emma, from Birmingham, tells the Mirror : “I still cannot believe that I will never see my beautiful sister and nieces again. “There were no signs that they were ever at risk.
“My own children had stayed overnight in the house several times. “Rob seemed like a great guy. I trusted him 100% and I’m sure Kelly did too.
Their life seemed idyllic. Every day I ask myself how anyone could murder their own children. “The day he killed them, he’d spent the afternoon putting up a playhouse in the garden for the girls.
Kelly told me how excited they were, but he knew they were never going to play in it. He’d already hidden bullets in the washing basket.” Needham’s shooting hobby was known.
But the wider family were unaware he kept a gun at home and they did not know whether Kelly was aware of that fact either, according to the inquest into the killings. Emma, who launched the Kelly Fitzgibbons Foundation to support people bereaved in traumatic circumstances, says: “I was horrified when I realised how easy it is to get a gun. I don’t think anyone should be allowed to keep a gun in their home unless it is essential for their work.
“I can’t think of another family going through this.” The police investigation revealed that on his application for a gun licence, Needham had failed to disclose a conviction for bicycle theft, aged 25, and the fact he had sought treatment for depression as a teenager. UK law states that anyone is able to apply for a gun licence as long as police believe they do not pose a threat to public safety and the applicant has a good reason to possess one, which can include needing a gun for work, sport or leisure.
Once granted, it remains valid for five years. Needham had held a licence since 2016, but bought the semi-automatic shotgun he murdered his family and their pet dog, Bill, with a week before, claiming he needed it to kill pigeons. Emma says: “I don’t want to ban shooting as a hobby, but guns should be kept at the shooting range, not in people’s homes.
“I strongly believe that if he hadn’t had a gun at home, Kelly and the girls would still be here now.” Emma is campaigning for licences to be reviewed every 12 months and for an increase to application fees, which are currently £88 for a gun licence, and £49 to renew one. “A lot can happen in five years that might make someone an unsuitable candidate to have a licence,” she says.
“At the moment, police write to an applicant’s GP to ask their opinion on their suitability. GPs are overworked and in Rob’s case, they weren’t able to reply in time and the application went ahead anyway. “I find that absolutely horrifying.
” Emma says she instantly knew something terrible had happened to Kelly. She explains: “The night she was killed, we were messaging quite late, and then she didn’t reply. It was really strange for her not to respond.
I thought she might have fallen asleep. “When she still hadn’t replied in the morning, I was worried. I said to my husband, ‘I think Rob has killed them all’.
He actually laughed at me because it seemed such a preposterous suggestion. It was totally irrational, but somehow I just knew. “We were in lockdown, I couldn’t drive to their house.
I was begging anyone who lived nearby to go and check on them. Rob’s mum eventually called me, sobbing, ‘Emma, they’re all dead.’ I remember screaming and then collapsing.
I don’t recall anything else. I think my brain has blocked it out.” Concluding the July 2022 inquest, coroner Bridget Dolan KC said: “The outstanding question is why these dreadful events happened.
His own family said there is no plausible explanation for his diabolical actions and I agree with that.” Emma says: “I found myself waiting for the police investigation to reveal a huge secret. But they couldn’t give us a reason why Rob killed his family.
“Kelly was a ray of sunshine. Everybody who met her, liked her. Her girls were her world .
They adored her, and each other. “Ava was like a porcelain doll – so beautiful and delicate. When she started school, Kelly couldn’t find a uniform small enough to fit her.
“When I visited, she’d always want to curl up on my knee and read a story. “Lexi was the bold one. She was only little, but her hair was unruly, she’d always be covered in chocolate and she had no fear.
They were best friends, just like Kelly and me. On their birthdays, I have a little party in their honour with my children. “There are days when something little will make me think of them - a song on the radio, something tiny, and I’m a mess.
But I’m determined to make a difference in their name.” Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Home Office, Jess Phillips, has campaigned alongside Emma. She says: “Emma is a brilliant and inspiring campaigner.
This new government will be reviewing legislation and guidance to ensure we have strong firearms controls in order to better protect the public.”.
