An elderly puppy farm owner who murdered his partner and her daughter has been sentenced to life in prison – with a minimum term of 25 years.
John Lowe, 82, from Farnham, used a shotgun to kill 66-year-old Christine Lee and her daughter Lucy, 40, on 23 February this year.
Lowe denied murder and claimed the deaths were a “terrible mistake”.
But the jury of six men and six women convicted him of their deaths after hearing that, following his arrest, he told the police he had “put down” the women because they had been “giving me s*** for weeks”.
Prior to sentencing, Ian Lawrie QC, mitigating, conceded that “the reality is, whatever term is given, he is going to die in prison”.
Meanwhile, the prosecution argued that Lowe, who turns 83 next week, should not receive a lenient sentence – as the minimal jail term for a double murder with a firearm is 30 years in prison.
