Jilted husband 'executed wife, mother-in-law and family dog' after rejection, court hears

A jilted husband executed his wife, mother-in-law and the family dog after stealing a rifle from a shooting range, a court has heard.

Craig Savage, 35, was “desperate” to reconcile with Michelle Savage, 32, when they split after nine years together.

But when she rejected him, he smashed his way into her mother’s house before shooting his wife six times in the living room, a jury at Lewes Crown Court heard.

He then went into the hallway where he shot her mother, Heather Whitbread, 53, seven times, it is claimed. Savage is said to have pushed the muzzle of the semi automatic assault rifle into their skin, leaving a mark on both women.

As he entered the three-bedroomed property in St Leonards, East Sussex, the victims urged Mrs Savage’s younger sister, Raven, who was seven months pregnant, to “run”.

Benjamin Aina QC, prosecuting, said she crouched behind a sofa and watched an “expressionless” Savage shoot her sister before hearing him execute her mother in a hail of bullets.

She managed to hide in an annexe with her grandmother and call the police.

Mr Aina said that Savage, of no fixed abode, also tried to shoot a police officer who attempted to apprehend him but the firing mechanism jammed.

He fled into nearby woodland after the shooting on March 16 and it took officers 90 minutes to find him.

The court heard that Mrs Savage had twice reported him twice to Sussex Police before she died and kept a handwritten record of incidents in which he threatened her.

In February, she filed an online report, writing: "I'm concerned for my and my family's safety as he's becoming more and more aggressive.

"He is a nasty, spiteful, bitter person and I know if I stay quiet and do nothing then things can only get worse.

"I believe he will hurt me in any way he can, mentally or physically. I believe he wanted to either kill or hurt me, I genuinely don't know which."

Savage was described as a "very controlling person" who had the "attitude of a teenager".

He would bombard his wife with phone calls and texts, wanting to know where she was and who she was with, Mr Aina said.

When they broke up, Mrs Savage accused him of trying to "control every last interaction" as he continued to bombard her with messages.

He threatened her with revenge porn, poured paint on family cars and slashed her tyres on her birthday a week before the killing.

Mr Aina described the killings as a "planned execution".

Savage is expected to argue that they were a "complete accident" and that the gun went off when he tripped in a struggle with his ex-wife.

He denies two counts of murder and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.

The trial continues.