Robert Needham, 42, was described as a bully by a former neighbour

A father who shot dead his partner and their two children before killing himself was depressed because he feared that the coronavirus lockdown threatened his future work as a builder, a friend has claimed.

Robert Needham, 42, is believed to have killed Kelly Fitzgibbons, 40, and their daughters Ava, four, and Lexi, two, in a home they shared with his mother, Maureen.

He had been completing work on an extension on the home in Woodmancote, West Sussex, and is reported to have bought another property six miles away in Waterlooville which he was also renovating. The bodies of the family and their dog were discovered upstairs at the house on Sunday evening.

Sussex police said yesterday that whether Mr Needham had a licence to own