Unseen footage from ITVX's 'A Murder in the Family' shows killer confess to wife's murder
Watch: Police footage shows the moment a killer confesses to his wife's murder from his hospital bed, in an exclusive ITVX series.
Unseen police footage has been released of a killer confessing to the murder of his wife following his failed suicide attempt.
It comes as part of a new ITVX docuseries, 'A Murder in the Family', featuring Georgia Gabriel-Hooper, now 18, who witnessed her mum Cheryl being shot through the window of her car in Newport in January 2018.
Andrew 'Jack' Hooper, who's from Shropshire, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 31 years for the murder of his wife, Cheryl Hooper.
He lost his ability to speak after shooting himself in a failed suicide attempt, so his murder confession was made by pointing to the word 'yes' from his hospital bed.
The couple had split up three weeks earlier, but for the last six weeks he had been stalking Mrs Hooper, even fitting a tracker on to her car.
He was following her to her friends' houses, sitting outside her workplace and outside her family home.
For years he had also been coercively controlling her. Cheryl was cut off from her friends and family while living on his rural farmhouse estate.
Georgia, Cheryl’s daughter, said: “I used to say to my mum - our family is different. My mum would say ‘You need to put on a show for other people' - and we did.”
Cheryl sent text messages and made phone calls to various members of her family - saying things like: “Fearing your loved one is not right,” or “I feel fear when I go in the farmhouse. It was my home and now I feel scared of it.”
Andrew Hooper suspected his wife had been having an affair and so tracked her to a pub where she was having drinks with friends and her ‘suspected lover’.
CCTV captured outside of the pub shows Cheryl and Andrew Hooper talking to one another on the night of her death, after he followed her there.
Cheryl messaged Andrew after he left the pub, telling him she was not having an affair. In response Andrew warned Cheryl that he would burn her belongings.
After leaving the pub Andrew got into his car and headed 15 miles back along the A41 to the farm where security camera footage shows him arriving and quickly leaving with an object, believed to be the 12 bore double-barrelled side by side shotgun, hidden under some cloth.
Once home, he shot her outside her home in front of her 14-year-old daughter, Georgia.
Andrew fled the scene, returning to his farm where he turned the shotgun on himself, in a failed attempt to commit suicide; he was later found by police next to a suicide note.
He now has severe facial injuries that mean he has lost the ability to speak. He was allowed to type his answers during the trial - “I live every day knowing I am responsible for her death. It is not a good feeling. I am not guilty of murder though.”
The day before Cheryl died, West Mercia Police came to visit Cheryl and Georgia while investigating Hooper's behaviour.
When the police came to visit, Cheryl and Georgia had moved into a new rented home in Newport, Shropshire, to start a new life away from Hooper.
The officer did not have with him a DASH Risk Checklist (Domestic Abuse, Stalking and Honour-based violence assessment), which is a tool used by all police forces to identify when someone might be at risk of domestic abuse.
After Cheryl's death, West Mercia Police force referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
Speaking about the missed warning signs, Georgia said: "The IOPC declared that it was a lack of resources, but that the officer had asked questions to the best of his ability without having that piece of paper."
After being found guilty by a jury at Birmingham Crown Court, Andrew was ordered to serve a minimum of 31 years - a whole life sentence.
Following the verdict, it emerged that Hooper was given a suspended sentence in 2004 after breaking into his first wife’s home and threatening to kill her.
It also transpired that Andrew controlled Cheryl’s social life - deciding when and if she could socialise with friends. If Cheryl did go out, Andrew would sulk and not speak to her for weeks.
Andrew controlled Cheryl’s money - he dictated when Cheryl could spend money and often took her money away from her. He also had a ‘temper’ - smashing objects in their home and becoming increasingly aggressive.
A Murder in The Family, is available to watch on the ITVX streaming service from Thursday 5 January.
Help and support
If you need support or advice about anything visit our advice page.
Call the 24-hour National Domestic Abuse helpline on 0808 2000 247 for confidential, non-judgemental information and support.
Women's Aid - for information and support, email helpline@womensaid.org.uk or use the instant messaging service.
Contact a local domestic abuse service by using the Domestic Abuse Directory.
If you are in immediate danger, call 999.