Company boss shot himself after wife of 34 years left him because he was 'always out clay pigeon shooting and drinking'

Stephen Thackery, 57, killed himself after wife told him marriage was over

Inquest hears Denise Thackery was fed up with his shooting and drinking

Armed police called to home weeks before death over suicide fears



An engineering company boss shot himself after his wife told him she was leaving because he spent all his free time clay pigeon shooting, an inquest has heard.



Denise Thackery told her husband Stephen she had decided to end her 34-year marriage to husband Stephen over his hobby and his drinking.



Mr Thackery begged her to reconsider, the inquest heard, buying her gifts and cleaning the house.

Inquest: Rotherham Coroner's Court heard that Denise Thackery told her husband Stephen she had decided to end her 34-year marriage to husband Stephen over his hobby and his drinking

'He said he would cut down the drinking and shooting but he didn’t,' Mrs Thackery told the hearing in Rotherham.

' He was trying hard I suppose but I didn’t want him to change who he was. It was just too late.



'I didn’t want him to buy me gifts or clean the house, he has never done that.



'I didn’t want him to drink so much or be out all the time shooting.'

The body of Mr Thackery, 57, was found in the garage at the family home in Thorpe Hesley, near Rotherham with a shotgun by his side.

Just three weeks earlier armed police were called to the house when he drunkenly threatened to kill himself and he was arrested on suspicion of possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear or violence.

He had told his son Ashley he was 'going off to the garage to shoot myself, but later told officers it was a flippant remark and that he didn’t mean it.

His guns were seized and he was kept overnight at a police station but he was released without charge after officers decided he had not threatened anybody and there was insufficient evidence that a crime had been committed.

His guns were returned to him five days later.

Mrs Thackery told her husband their marriage was over in January this year but she only planned to leave the family home after their Ashley’s wedding in July.

Her husband was said to be 'shocked and unhappy' at the news and did not want the marriage to end.



'For 25 years he spent all his free time shooting, it was always targets or clays.'

Denise Thackery

'He told me: “I can’t live without you” but I just thought he was being ridiculous,' she said.

The inquest heard that when Mr Thackery was arrested he had got drunk on whisky at home and told his wife 'it all got out of hand'.

She told the hearing she had spent too many lonely nights on her own.

'Shooting was his life,' she said.



'For 25 years he spent all his free time shooting, it was always targets or clays.'

He had repeatedly asked her to come back to him but she never thought he would take his own life.

The inquest heard Mr Thackery typed two letters to his wife and son which were found after his death on February 22.

In the letters he said his final goodbyes, expressed his regrets and talked about funeral arrangements, even which music should be played.

His sister-in-law Christine Yates had found him on the fateful day in the kitchen playing Adele at full blast and he hugged her very tightly. She said: 'I told him he was drunk and he said “you have got to be for what I’m going to do today'.”

The inquest heard Mr Thackery told Ms Yates 'I got it wrong, I got it all wrong' and she later heard a muffled thud outside. Police were called and they found his body in the garage.

Mr Thackery’s mobile phone records were checked and in the few hours before his death he had sent a text message a shooting pal to say he had a 'broken heart'.

He also sent a message to his wife saying 'goodbye the love of my life'.

South Yorkshire Police’s professional standards department were called in to investigate whether he had been properly assessed when he was arrested.

Detective Sergeant Jim McGuiness said an interview at the station with Detective Constable Kerry Frith was 'lacking in any depth or investigative probing', but that any assessment of Mr Thackery’s suitability to hold guns was a 'judgment call' for the firearms team leader.

Mrs Thackery told the hearing: 'He couldn’t see past the fact that we were going to separate and he gave up.



'I don’t think he wanted to spoil his son’s wedding day but it call became too much.'

Coroner Nicola Mundy recorded a conclusion of suicide.

She said: 'He never came to terms with the idea that he would be without his wife.'

