Keyham inquest: Gunman treated mother 'like a slave' before shooting her and four others

A gunman who shot and killed five people in Plymouth treated his mother "like a slave", an inquest has heard.

Maxine was Jake Davison's first victim when he carried out one of the UK's worst mass shootings in the Keyham area of the city.

He went on to kill four others in a 12-minute attack before turning the gun on himself.

Three-year-old Sophie Martyn, her father, Lee, 43, Stephen Washington, 59, and Kate Shepherd, 66, died on 12 August 2021.

Maxine's former partner, Darren Wood, has been giving evidence to the inquest today (27 January). He said she feared for her safety around her son.

"I think Maxine feared Jake for the best part of her life", Mr Wood said.

"He treated her like a slave. She would flinch around him. It was brutal some of the things I used to see.

"He used to leave rubbish for Maxine to clean up, he was dirty, all his money went on sweets, energy drinks, protein drinks, steroids.

"If his tea wasn't done, he would be angry. That's why I moved out in the end, I couldn't put up with his attitude.

"She didn’t want him to have the gun, she was trying to get him to sell it, she called the police at one point asking them to take it away.

"I told the police he would use the gun one day."

The jury went on to hear how Davison assaulted two children in a park in 2020.

Mr Wood said when he returned home, Davison was "raging angry'.

He told the inquest: "He went to his room, took his gun out of the cabinet.

"Maxine calmed him down and told him: "You can’t take that gun to the park, you’ll end up getting a jail sentence"."

The jury heard Davison contacted police and admitted to the assault.

The inquest continues.

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