Funerals to be held for Devizes pair (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Funerals to be held for Devizes pair

11:00am Thursday 14th March 2013 in News

The funerals of Bill Dowling and Vicky Rose are to go ahead next week after the Wiltshire coroner released their bodies for burial.

An inquest into the deaths was opened and adjourned last Thursday after the coroner heard evidence of identification. The cause of the deaths was given as gunshot wounds. The full inquest will take place at a later date after a police investigation.

Officers were called to Mr Dowling’s home in Moonrakers, off London Road, on the morning of Saturday, March 2, after neighbours, who had heard the sounds of an argument and then shots being fired, saw two bodies lying in the glass porch.

Police said they were not looking for anyone else in connection with the enquiry, which is being treated as a murder/ suicide.

Mrs Rose, who lived in White Horse Way, a minute’s walk from Mr Dowling’s home, will be buried in a private family service at a village near Taunton on Wednesday, March 20, with a memorial service at St James’s Church in Devizes at 3.30pm the same day.

Family flowers only are requested, with donations going to CottonTails animal rescue centre and Cancer Research UK.

Details of Mr Dowling’s funeral are not being released in accordance with the wishes of his family.

Wiltshire Police have completed their examination of the scene of the deaths but the investigation continues.

Senior officers have ruled out a general review of shotgun licences being held by people in the county.

In a statement issued from police headquarters in Devizes, they said: “A certificate is valid for five years and is reviewed at the point of renewal.

“Anyone applying for a certificate or for its renewal would be subject to the robust systems in place to assess the suitability of those applying for licences, which includes verification through our intelligence databases. We would contact their GP if the applicant has declared any medical condition that would give us cause for concern.

“Personal visits by licensing officers would take place for the grant of a shotgun certificate or on renewal if there was cause for concern.

“Our processes ensure that if there is any incident involving a certificate holder it is flagged to the Firearms Licensing department, to enable them to consider the certificate holder’s suitability to possess weapons and to any officers attending the address for safety reasons.

“Anyone who has concerns regarding the suitability of a person who holds or is applying for a firearms licence or shotgun certificate should report it to Wiltshire Police on 101.”