A HELSTON woman whose mother's partner shot himself in front of her described his actions as "an act of madness" at an inquest into his death in Truro on Monday.

Kristy Banks was with 42-year-old Andrew John Edwards and his friend Robert Kemp when Mr Edwards pulled the trigger at his home in Trevenen Road on February 28 this year.

The pair had been trying to reason with him after finding him at the home, having followed him after he left the Blue Anchor pub in a state of distress earlier in the evening.

Mr Edwards, who worked as a stove fitter as well as owning a chimney sweep business, and who had previously served in the Royal Navy and then as a guard at RNAS Culdrose, had been enjoying an evening at the pub with Mr Kemp and his wife Becky, with his partner Jacqueline Banks and her daughters, including Kristy, before becoming upset and going outside where he talked to Mr Kemp.

Detective Constable Evans of Devon and Cornwall Police said there was "some suggestion" Mr Edwards had become upset over £989 which was owed to him for work for company TSI, which was in fact paid into his account that evening, arriving on March 2.

Mr Kemp told the inquest he had met Mr Edwards when the two men worked at Culdrose, and he worked along with Kristy at the chimney sweep business Sir Sweeps A Lot while Mr Edwards was working for TSI installing stoves, a job he needed to get his ex-wife out of the mortgage for his house.

He said he had become dissatisfied with the company, just after Christmas he was laid off, and "wasn't unhappy about losing the job, just the way he'd been treated, moreover he was worried he would not get paid as he owed money to stove companies Kuggar and Warrior.

On the night Mr Edwards died, Mr Kemp said the the group had met at the Blue Anchor, and Mr Edwards "was on good form, having a good time and drinking."

He said: "Suddenly he took his phone out, his face dropped. He was looking at his dog who died a year ago. He stormed off and I followed him. He was sat down at the back of the pub, and he was crying."

He said Mr Edwards was sad about his dog dying, about his ex-wife and his son, and about the money from TSI.

Mr Edwards wanted to leave, but Mr Kemp tried to persuade him to come back in as he was worried about his friend going home in such an emotional state.

Mr Edwards then left the pub by running up a flight of steps and jumping over a low roof into an alleyway before disappearing.

Mr Kemp went to Mr Edwards home with his wife and Miss Banks, where they found him with a shotgun for which he had a licence, and after a short altercation - during which Mr Kemp hit Mr Edwards in the face - they disarmed him, only for him to head to his bedroom where they realised he had another shotgun.

Although threatened by Mr Edwards, Mr Kemp said: "He was just wanting me to stay away as he was going to turn the gun on himself."

Miss Banks agreed with Mr Kemp's statement, and said she wasn't aware of anything bothering Mr Edwards until she heard he had jumped over a wall.

She agreed that it must have been "an act of madness, really. I can't explain it, I've no idea."

Her mother said everything Mr Edwards "was quite hot tempered, would go from nought to 100 sometimes" but " you could usually calm him down" and on the night in question he had seemed happy.

DC Evans said there was no indication that Mr Edwards intended to take his own life, no note or letter, and he seemed to be more angry at TSI than anything else.

He said: "The best I can describe it is a moment of madness, perhaps."

A pathology report gave the cause of death as a massive head injury due to a gunshot wound, and found Mr Edwards had a blood alcohol level of 177mg per 100ml.

Assistant coroner Barrie van den Berg recorded an open verdict, saying Mr Edwards had given no previous indication of what he intended, and no-one could "possibly say what was going on in his head at the time."

He said it "happened so quickly , a tremendous and sudden change."