A taxi driver who slaughtered three of his family in a New Year's Day bloodbath was licensed to own six guns, it emerged today. Michael Atherton, 42, killed his partner Susan McGoldrick as well as her sister Alison Turnbull and her niece Tanya.
Police tonight confirmed he was legally allowed to keep three shotguns and three section one firearms, a classification which is subject to stricter regulation.
Escape: Laura McGoldrick, pictured at her 18th birthday party, was shot during the incident but managed to escape by climbing through a window Atherton opened fire in his semi-detached house in in Horden, near Peterlee, County Durham, just before midnight last night.
The alarm was raised when Mrs McGoldrick's daughter Laura, 19, fled through an upstairs window. Drenched in blood and hysterical, she pounded on the door of a neighbour’s house in a desperate attempt to get help.
Police arrived at the scene just after midnight to find four bodies, including 44-year-old Mrs Turnbull and Tanya, who was in her 20s, in close proximity in the ground floor of the small, three-bedroom home. All were confirmed dead at the scene.
Atherton had a shotgun lying at his side. Three others survived the massacre - including the teenage girl who had shotgun pellets removed from her wrist and shoulder before being released from hospital.
It is thought that Atherton may have been suffering from depression. Steve Patterson, a family friend, said he had talked to Atherton's brother, Chris, only yesterday.
Mr Patterson, 51, said: 'Chris was saying that his brother wasn't doing too well and had been suffering from depression. 'He said he was fed up with the way his life was going. I think he started feeling down after an operation he had on his heart in 2011.'
Police had previously been called to an incident in 2008 when Atherton had threatened to hurt himself but are yet to release more details. Mrs McGoldrick and Mrs Turnbull's brother Norman Hardman, of Heselden, near Hartlepool, said: 'They are just two lovely sisters. They'd do anything for anybody and we're just going to miss them.'
The sisters' other brother Bobby said: 'The whole family is numb from head to toe,' he said. 'We've lost three family members in one swoop and that's all I can say really. It's just devastating.'
Mr Hardman confirmed that Mrs McGoldrick's daughter Laura managed to escape the house by jumping out of the window. Mr Hardman said he thought Sue and Micky had been together for about 19 years. They have a son together, Michael Atherton Jnr, who is 17 years old.
The alarm was raised just after 11.45pm last night. Police said all the shots were fired within 'literally seconds'. Armed police rushed to the property within 20 minutes and were met by two survivors who had remained inside. Assistant Chief Superintendent Ivan Wood said no disturbance had been reported before the incident. After the shots were fired, family members made 'hysterical' calls to the police.
Police believe the family members had been out at a pub or for a meal before the incident took place before returning to the house.
This morning Assistant Chief Constable Michael Banks this morning told a press conference that a resident of the house held a firearms licence.
He said: 'I can confirm that a resident at that address was the lawful holder of shotgun and firearms licences and we cannot confirm at this stage whether any of those weapons that were lawfully held have been used in this.'
Asked how many weapons were registered at that address, he said: 'At this moment in time it is my understanding that the person was licensed for three shotguns and three section-one firearms.'
He said section-one firearms were a particular category of firearms which require greater authorisation than a shotgun licence.
It was also confirmed at the press conference that police had been called to the house in the past.
Police attended the address in 2008 after family members reported that Mr Atherton had been threatening to self-harm.
'We have had contact with the family. We are busy reviewing the exact circumstances around that.
'There was a report of a male at that address self-harming. That was some years ago. We are researching all of this,' said Mr Banks.
'There were words. There was nothing came from that.' They police would not confirm whether he was threatening to use a firearm, but say reviews were undertaken in relation to his firearms licence after this incident.
Durham Police said they will make a voluntary referral to the IPCC because of previous contact between the family and police before.
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