Student, 19, is comforted by relatives in Swindon after her millionaire dad shot her mother and brother, 17, dead then turned gun on himself

THE surviving daughter of the family shot dead by estranged husband Alan Pemberton is being comforted at her grandparents' Swindon home.

Mr Pemberton, 48, a financier who used to work at Allied Dunbar in Swindon, shot dead his wife and teenage son before killing himself on Tuesday.

His daughter, Laura, a first year Cambridge University student, was not at home when the incident happened.

Yesterday she was with her maternal grandparents in Badbury, near Chiseldon, trying to come to terms with the deaths of her father, mother Julia, and 17-year-old brother, William.

Speaking outside the family home where Laura is being comforted, her uncle Mike Mason said: "We are trying to give each other mutual support. There are quite a few family members here."

The shooting took place at Alan and Julia's £1 million home in the Berkshire village of Hermitage near Newbury.

It is claimed Alan Pemberton was driven to despair when his wife told him to leave their £1 million family home and to expect a divorce.

She reportedly wanted to make a new start after surviving breast cancer. When he found his wife had put their custom-designed and built home on the market, it was the final straw.

He had been staying with his parents and friends since he left the family home several months ago. He was said to be desperate to return to them.

Mr Pemberton and his wife Julia, 47, met 27 years ago when they were students at Southampton University. They married at Holy Rood Church in Swindon in 1980.

His family have said they never had any indication that Mr Pemberton would take such drastic measures.

He killed his son in the driveway before going inside and killing his wife. He then turned the gun on himself.

Mr and Mrs Pemberton used to live in Castle Eaton before moving to Newbury for Mr Pemberton's work in 1991.

He was employed at Allied Dunbar, now Zurich, in the finance department from 1988 until 1991.

Sue Sainsbury, who lives and works on a farm in Castle Eaton, knew both Alan and Julia Pemberton when they were residents in the village.

"They were such a lovely, lovely couple," she said.

"You couldn't have known a nicer couple. Julia was so caring. I just can't believe what has happened. I feel so sorry for the daughter. Alan must have flipped out."

Armed police surrounded the property on Tuesday night after receiving a distressed call from Julia Pemberton saying there was a man with a gun. But when police stormed the house hours later, all three were dead.

Police ballistics experts have said Mr Pemberton fired a shotgun at least 14 times before killing himself.

He would have had to load the manually operated 12-gauge shotgun at least seven times.

Post-mortem examination results released yesterday by Thames Valley Police show Mrs Pemberton and her son died from gunshot wounds to the chest and stomach. Mr Pemberton died from a gunshot wound to the head.

An inquest is likely to be opened and adjourned early next week.

elidbury@newswilts.co.uk