This is the first picture of a father who shot and fatally wounded his seven-year-old daughter amid a bitter custody battle with estranged wife.

Yasser Alromisse, 46, who was born in Egypt, wanted custody of his daughter Mary Ann Shipstone after becoming estranged with his wife Lyndsey.

After shooting his daughter, Alromisse took his own life inside a silver Toyota on the driveway of his ex-wife's home in Northiam, near Rye, East Sussex on Thursday.

Yasser Alromisse shot and fatally wounded his daughter before taking his own life in Rye, East Sussex

Mary Ann Shipstone, pictured, died of her injuries yesterday after being shot twice in the head by Alromisse

A mother's love: Lyndsey Shipstone, 42, with her daughter Mary, who died in hospital yesterday after being shot

Yesterday afternoon, the little girl died in hospital after being gunned down by her ‘jealous’ estranged father.

She was shot in the head by Alromisse after his English convert wife rejected Islam and him.

The youngster had returned from school and was excited about celebrating her eighth birthday next week.

Her mother, Lyndsey Shipstone, 42, screamed: ‘He’s got a gun’ before her estranged Muslim husband shot Mary Ann and then killed himself.

She raced outside, gathered her daughter in her arms and laid her on a sofa inside.

Neighbour Helen Barber, 38, said: ‘I ran out up to the house and went in. Mary Ann was on the sofa. There was blood everywhere.

Neighbours in the quiet village of Northiam, near Rye, East Sussex, described Mary as a 'lovely little girl'

Scene of the attack: Residents who heard the shots said they thought someone was shooting pheasants

Villagers spoke of their shock at the horror in what is a leafy, quiet village near the border with Kent

‘I couldn’t feel a pulse. I’ve done first aid before and she was showing no signs of life. Lyndsey was hysterical.’

Her husband, Stuart Barber, 46, added: ‘The car stopped. There were two shots. No one went to the car. Within minutes armed police turned up and surrounded the car.’

Miss Shipstone has an older son, Stephen, 21, who has autism and was with a carer when his sister was killed.

He arrived home 15 minutes after the shooting and was taken away from the scene by Mr Barber.

The estranged couple were involved in a bitter custody battle and Alromisse had spent a week trying to locate the home the family had moved to.

It is thought he also staked out their £300,000 house in his Toyota Rav 4 car.

One villager said he had heard the man had gone to his former partner's home and shot the youngster

This aerial shot shows the gunman's car, circled right with open doors, and his body covered by a blanket

Yesterday, Miss Shipstone posted the picture online of her daughter.Last night she was being consoled by her parents and siblings.

In a statement the family said they were trying ‘to come to terms with what has happened,’ adding: ‘We are today grieving the death of our beautiful and loving Mary.’

Miss Shipstone’s Facebook post came as it emerged the family had been hiding from Alromisse for several years.

The couple married in Liverpool in 2005 after Miss Shipstone converted to Islam, friends said.

But she later rejected the faith and left him, prompting a bitter custody dispute over the children.

Further legal action had apparently been planned in the past few weeks. While together, their daughter had been known by the traditional Islamic name Maryam. After her mother moved she started calling her ‘Mary Ann’.

Locals said the little girl and her mother had moved to the quiet village of Northiam, near Rye, last April

A police spokesman said: 'At this stage we are not in a position to confirm the relationships of all those involved but we can say that the girl and the man knew each other'

Miss Shipstone had also started a relationship with a new man, who Mary is seen clinging to in another photograph uploaded on to a social media site.

Miss Shipstone married Alromisse after they met in Skelmersdale, her home town in Lancashire.

Having been a practising Catholic, she converted to Islam and quickly became devout.

‘She started wearing long robes and only eating halal food,’ a family friend said. ‘Her son Stephen began using the name Adam.’

The couple had a daughter named Yasmin Miriam in September 2001, but she died eight months later.

Mary was born in 2006 but according to former neighbours, social services had to intervene, with orders barring Alromisse from being alone with either child.

Fear: A man who lives close to where the incident took place said the village was 'on lockdown'

Peaceful village: Cavix Field in Northiam, close to the scene of yesterday's shooting

‘He used to hit Stephen,’ the family friend said. ‘Stephen used to say “He’s a bad man”.’ In a tweet posted on December 24, 2009, Miss Shipstone wrote: ‘We loved the snow. Our garden was amazing, covered in thick white snow. We can leave the house without worrying about my husband bothering us.’

Alromisse became a Community Safety Officer for Uttlesford District Council in Essex.

His job involved helping with projects to try to reduce crime. Police were last night at an address in Broomfield Avenue, Worthing, West Sussex, where Alromisse was thought to be renting a flat.

Detective Chief Inspector Jason Taylor of Sussex Police said: ‘We are trying to establish Mr Alromisse’s movements over the last few days and are keen to hear from anyone who may have seen or heard from him.’