THE GRIEVING sister of a headteacher who was shot dead by her husband has told how she called for help moments before she was killed.
Emma Pattison, 45, and her seven-year-old daughter Lettie were found dead by Deborah Kirk after they were shot by her husand George, 39, at around 1am on February 5, 2022.
George turned the gun on himself after blasting Mrs Pattison in the chest and abdomen and shooting little Lettie in the head.
The three were found dead on the grounds of Epsom College after Mrs Pattison made a distressed call to her sister.
Now grieving Deborah has told how Emma had called her for help after an “altercation” with George just an hour before their deaths.
Deborah had been playing Trivial Pursuit with her parents when Emma made the distress call.
MORE ON EPSOM COLLEGE TRAGEDY
Writing for The Sunday Times, she explained: “There had been an altercation between her and her husband, George, and she asked me to come over.
“My husband and I arrived at a silent house where no one was answering the door.
“No one was answering the door because they were all dead.
“Between that phone call and our arrival, my brother-in-law had shot my sister, their daughter and himself with a sporting shotgun.”
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Emma was the head of the prestigious college in Surrey, where fees cost up to £42,000 a year.
The three were found dead on the school's grounds at around 1am on February 5, 2022, after Mrs Pattison made a distressed call to her sister.
She married George in 2011 and four years later their daughter was born.
How you can get help
Women's Aid has this advice for victims and their families:
- Always keep your phone nearby.
- Get in touch with charities for help, including the Women’s Aid live chat helpline and services such as SupportLine.
- If you are in danger, call 999.
- Familiarise yourself with the Silent Solution, reporting abuse without speaking down the phone, instead dialing “55”.
- Always keep some money on you, including change for a pay phone or bus fare.
- If you suspect your partner is about to attack you, try to go to a lower-risk area of the house – for example, where there is a way out and access to a telephone.
- Avoid the kitchen and garage, where there are likely to be knives or other weapons. Avoid rooms where you might become trapped, such as the bathroom, or where you might be shut into a cupboard or other small space.
If you are a victim of domestic abuse, SupportLine is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6pm to 8pm on 01708 765200. The charity’s email support service is open weekdays and weekends during the crisis – messageinfo@supportline.org.uk.
Women’s Aid provides a live chat service - available weekdays from 8am-6pm and weekends 10am-6pm.
You can also call the freephone 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.
But despite appearing to be a loving family, Deborah said she had alway thought the relationship was abusive.
She wrote: “I did see the relationship as abusive. I did and I told her so.
“I think though, the sound of any voice of a caring loved one saying the same thing over and over again is something one becomes deaf to.”
Surrey Police believe George,who held a shotgun licence, killed his wife, and young daughter before taking his own life in a double murder-suicide.
The force confirmed that George was in contact with them just days before the killings to update the address on his gun licence as is "routine".
Parents and former colleagues described Emma as a "wonderful teacher" who "enriched" her students' lives.
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