A woman whose mother and sister were shot dead by an 82-year-old puppy breeder after police returned his shotguns to him has criticised Surrey police’s firearms team as negligent and dangerous, as the police watchdog highlighted “deeply concerning” failings.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission found two staff members had cases to answer for misconduct following the murders by John Lowe of his partner Christine Lee, 66, and her daughter Lucy Lee, 40, at his farm near Farnham, Surrey, in 2014.

Eleven months before the killings, police received an allegation by Stacy Banner, now 42, the daughter of Christine and sister of Lucy, that Lowe had made threats to shoot her. Lowe’s seven licensed shotguns were removed. Banner subsequently withdrew her complaint, due to his age. Unbeknown to her, five of Lowe’s shotguns were later returned to him, seven months before he shot the two women.

Banner said on Tuesday the IPCC report was “vindication” in her long battle for an independent investigation, but many questions remained unanswered. She called for a “Lucy’s Law” in memory of her sister to overhaul gun licence policy, and a full inquest to answer remaining questions.



Surrey firearms officers had failed at “basic policing”, she said. “He [Lowe] pulled the trigger, but they handed him the weapon to do it,” she added.



It was “devastating to see your worst fears confirmed in black and white about how those entrusted with the public safety can abuse and neglect their powers. But for the police’s failing, my mum and sister would be here today.”



She said those who licensed guns should disregard age or status when assessing whether someone was dangerous. “It doesn’t matter about the background. Realistically, domestic violence happens daily. But gun law in this country is tight. However, if it is not monitored correctly, and it’s simply a case of ‘Here’s your seven loaded guns back’, then who has got a chance?”



She said the report was a start and answered some questions, but “there are many more that remain unanswered”.



Lowe’s trial heard that he shot Christine in the chest in a fit of temper. Her daughter Lucy managed to dial 999 before she too was shot.



The IPCC report released on Wednesday says two firearms staff, a licensing supervisor and an inquiry officer failed to take “simple investigative steps” to check Surrey police records or adequately address whether Lowe was a danger to the public when deciding to return his shotguns and certificate. One person has been dismissed following a hearing and the other retired before the hearing was held.



Banner said she was disappointed the two had not faced criminal investigation. She plans to bring a civil claim against the chief constable of Surrey police.



According to the report, evidence Lowe was not suitable to retain a firearms licence included not just Banner’s allegation, to which there were witnesses, but also reports of domestic abuse, of association with criminals, of alcohol abuse, of involvement in a burglary and of impaired mental functioning.



“There are red flags, and there are red flags,” said Banner. When she reported Lowe, she said, “I was concerned that he was dangerous. People said he’s just a frail old man. He certainly wasn’t a frail old man on the day he killed my mother and my sister, then shot four dogs, then sat down calmly and wrote two letters. He was a psychopath.”



One police officer who had dealt with Lowe had expressed concerns that Lowe could kill a police officer or the woman he was living with, the report shows.



Banner said she had spent “hundreds and hundreds” of hours trying to get answers to questions for her mother and sister. “I am relieved the IPCC have produced an extensive report. I am relieved that the truth is finally starting to emerge.



“But there is no justice for my mum and my sister. My mum and my sister’s ashes are in my bedroom. My mum will never see her grandchildren. My children will never get to experience how clever my sister was. My whole outlook has changed completely,” she said. “We are still fighting for justice.”

The IPCC recommended a structured training programme for licensing officers, who need to liaise with police officers investigating allegations about licence holders. It called for medical information to be obtained and appropriately considered.



The IPCC associate commissioner Tom Milsom said: “Our investigation paints a deeply concerned portrait of how Surrey police’s firearms licensing team operated at that time. We found a unit which lacked the necessary training and processes to manage such a serious responsibility, staffed by individuals who were failing to undertake their duties with rigour and due consideration.”



Surrey’s assistant chief constable Helen Collins said the force had conducted a “comprehensive review” of firearms licensing since 2014 and took on board the IPCC investigation’s findings.



The IPCC also found that a detective constable and a detective sergeant had cases to answer for misconduct and a detective inspector for gross misconduct relating to an incident that led to Banner’s arrest and detention weeks after the murders.

Banner said: “To find myself detained overnight contrary to the law, as the report confirms, in the same police station – possibly the same cell – where my mum and sister’s killer had been held, beggars belief.”



Banner’s solicitor, Sarah Ricca, of Deighton Pierce Glynn, said: “It is a vindication for Stacy Banner that staff faced dismissal proceedings and one was sacked, and that both local and national recommendation have been made.”

The IPCC report referred to an incident in 1996 when an allegation was made that Lowe had threatened to use his shotgun against his previous partner, Susanna Wilson, who has since died.

One police sergeant warned: “I fear this man is quite capable of using extreme violence to anybody, including police and especially towards Mrs Wilson, and therefore request that consideration be given to seizing his shotguns immediately and to revoke his licence. I would urge that should you be agreeable to this course of action, that it is treated as urgent.”

Notes indicated it was felt there was “insufficient evidence” to support a revocation of his shotgun certificate at the time.