Former mayor lured his abused wife to her death

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A council leader and former mayor abused his wife behind closed doors for almost a decade before laying out wills and funeral instructions, then luring her to her death.

Keith Johnson, 58, shot his wife Andrea, 44, dead outside their home in Compit Hills, near Cromer, Norfolk, before turning the gun on himself on 2 December. Following an inquest at Norfolk Coroner’s Court, a domestic violence homicide review was published detailing how the leader of North Norfolk District Council abused his wife.

The violence was revealed in a diary found after Ms Johnson’s death.

On the day of the murders, Johnson armed himself with his wife’s shotgun and invited her back to their bungalow, promising he would not harm her, the inquest heard.

Coroner William Armstrong concluded that Ms Johnson suffered an unlawful death while Johnson killed himself. He said: “The killing was deliberate. He made a decision to kill Andrea and then to kill himself.”

Gaynor Mears, who wrote the report, said the case highlighted that domestic violence existed within all social classes.

PA