A NEWPORT dad, who shot his estranged wife because she was having an affair with a solicitor, killed himself whilst suffering an imbalance of mind, an inquest heard today.

Darren Williams, 45, was found hanged in woods near Brickyard Lane, Newport, around 7.30pm on August 19, 2011, hours after he shot Rachel Williams in the Malpas Road hairdressers where she worked.

A month later their teenage son Jack, 16, was found hanged at a tree in a different Newport woods. An inquest into his death will be held on Thursday.

Gwent Coroner’s Court sitting in Newport on Tuesday heard Mrs Williams suffered years of domestic abuse at the hands of her husband and finally broke off the marriage when he tried to strangle her and cut his wrists on July 9, 2011.

She started divorce proceedings and Mr Williams moved in with his sister.

In a statement read to the court Mrs Williams described the former doorman as "violent" and said he was "jealous, possessive and controlling."

After they split, she had an affair with a solicitor, who had acted for her husband in the past, the court heard.

He found out about the infidelity on his birthday on August 10 and was later arrested for allegedly making threats to kill the man.

He later told his sister: "I am going to get Rachel back for what she’s done to me, I am going to get revenge."

Nine days later he walked into the Carol Ann Hairdressers and gunned her down.

Mrs Williams, 40, told how she was working that day when her husband came into the shop, reached into a black holdall he was carrying and pulled out a sawn-off shotgun.

She said she knew he had come there to kill her and shouted: "Dar, no".

He hit her head with the butt of the gun, throwing her to the floor and she grabbed a table and pulled her knees up to her chest to protect herself.

The court heard he pointed the gun at her and said "Rach, I love you" before firing two shots, which completely destroyed her leg, and injured other customers.

Armed police were called to the area after Mr Williams fled and searches were carried out on homes in Newport and Cwmbran.

At 7.28pm officers were called to Brickyard Lane, Newport, where they found the abandoned Mini Cooper car Mr Williams had borrowed from his sister earlier that day.

They followed the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal to a nearby wooded area where he was found hanged from a tree with rope.

They tried to resuscitate him but he was pronounced dead by paramedics.

A post mortem examination found Mr Williams died as a result of pressure to the neck caused by a ligature.

Consultant pathologist Dr Geraint Evans, who carried out the examination, said there was evidence Mr Williams had taken steroids and that this was known to be capable of influencing a person’s mood and behaviour. But he said it was impossible to say if they had this effect on Mr Williams.

Gwent Coroner, David Bowen, said he was satisfied there was no third party involvement in Mr Williams’ death and concluded he killed himself whilst suffering an imbalance of mind.

He said it was not for him to decide whether this was down to the realisation of his actions following the shooting, the breakdown of his marriage, his wife’s infidelity, his recent dealings with the police or for another reason entirely.

But he added, whatever was troubling him, Mr Williams managed to conceal the enormity of it from friends and family.

Complaint made to Gwent Police over domestic abuse

Detective Chief Inspector Justin O’Keefe told the court Mrs Williams made a complaint to police on July 19, 2011, claiming she had been a victim of domestic abuse for years.

Her husband was later charged with common assault, but denied the offence. He expressed his continuing love for his wife and was granted bail by the courts.

On August 11 police received a call claiming the former HGV driver was "on his way to kill" his solicitor after finding out about his affair with his estranged wife. He was arrested and denied the allegation.

Det Insp O’Keefe told the court that if Mr Williams had been arrested after the shooting he would have been charged with the attempted murder of his wife.

He said officers submitted a file of evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service who agreed he had made a genuine attempt to take his wife’s life.

Mr William’s sister Rachael Ann Williams told the inquest her brother was devastated at the breakdown of his marriage and was trying to rectify the relationship. On August 19 he left her house, where he was staying, and borrowed her car to go to the gym.

But he called her around 2pm - 20 minutes before the shooting - telling her repeatedly that he loved her. She was only made aware of the incident on Malpas Road when her nephew Jack called her.

His other sister Lisa Edwards described how her brother was a "changed" man after finding out about his wife’s affair. He had a vacant look about him, was quiet and she was concerned about him.

The court heard he told her: "I am going to get Rachel back for what she’s done to me, I am going to get revenge.

"I am not going to kill her, I don’t want to kill her I want to shoot both her legs and go ‘bang bang’".

‘Family was let down by the authorities’ – wife and shooting victim

Speaking after the hearing Rachel Williams, who did not attend the hearing, said the verdict was as she expected.

The mum, who spent months in hospital after the incident having her left leg rebuilt, added the whole family was let down by the authorities.

She said: "We were all let down, Jack, myself, Darren - he should have been sectioned. I couldn’t believe the magistrates didn’t remand him in custody.

"As the report (a serious case review published last November) found, there were failings right across the board. If Darren had been sectioned and had the help he needed, we would not be here today.

"It [should have been done] for his own safety, for mine and to save the situation that followed with Jack.

"It’s just sad that all these lessons have been learnt after the events."