Father's fury over killer's gun licence POST PLUS.

Byline: Neville Dean

THE husband of a woman who was shot dead along with her six-year-old daughter in a quiet village cul-desac by her ex-lover yesterday described the gunman as an ``alcoholic lunatic'' who should never have been given a firearms licence.

Steven Hamar, 41, was speaking out for the first time since his wife Kaeren, 37, and their daughter Tori were shot dead by 59-year-old Peter O'Hare in the village of Horton, near Ilminster, Somerset, a week ago.

Mr Hamar, head gamekeeper of a commercial shoot in Wiveliscombe, near Taunton, said he had separated from his wife two years ago, but remained on friendly terms with her and often saw their daughter at weekends and in the holidays.

He said Kaeren met O'Hare, who he described as an ``odd job man'', through a dating agency a couple of months after their relationship ended and had moved up to live with him in Berkshire, where they became lovers.

Mr Hamar said O'Hare had told his wife a ``pack of lies'' about his job, his age, and his looks, and had verbally abused both her and their daughter on several occasions.

He described O'Hare as a jealous man with a violent temper, who drank too much. He said he never believed O'Hare was capable of killing Kaeren and Tori.

``People say he (O'Hare) was easy going and nice, but he was not at all,'' said Mr Hamar. ``He was an alcoholic lunatic and he was a thorn in our side - in everybody's sides - for the two years that we were associated with him.

``Never a day went by without some drama or crisis that he was involved with. He used to shout and scream all the time, but I never believed he would do anything as terrible as this. I am very, very angry. I have been totally robbed of a daughter - I hate the man.

``He should never have had a firearms licence in the first place. We use rifles in our everyday work and there are such strict regulations - which there should be - that I do not know how he slipped the net.''

Mr Hamar said his wife and O'Hare had been together up until about one month before the shooting, when she had tried to end their relationship.

He said O'Hare had refused to believe the relationship was over and would often drive to her house in Horton and ``scream abuse'' at her into the early hours.

Mr Hamar, who lives in a gamekeeper's cottage in Wiveliscombe with his and Kaeren's son Rick, 19, said he had been helped by his family, friends and the village community in the days since the shooting. ``We just cannot believe it has happened.''

He paid tribute to his daughter saying: ``She was a ray of sunshine. Always happy, always saw the best in people - just perfect really.''

CAPTION(S):

SHOOTING GRIEF: Heartbroken Steven Hamar with a picture of his murdered daughter, Tori; KILLED: Kaeren Hamer