'I hope I rot in Hell': Suicide plea of father who bludgeoned his wife and daughter to death after his business floundered

By Claire Ellicott
Last updated at 4:51 PM on 2nd September 2010

A killer father who bludgeoned his wife and daughter to death before hanging himself left a suicide note which declared: ' I hope I rot in hell.'

Hugh McFall battered his wife Susan, 56, and 18-year-old daughter Francesca with a rubber mallet in their home in Oswestry, Shropshire, the day after he discovered his business was in turmoil.

McFall, 48, then hanged himself in his wholesale florist premises on a nearby industrial estate on February 5.

An inquest at Shrewsbury Magistrates Court today heard McFall had left a hand-written suicide note and also put a message on the gate at the family home, intended for Hugh's brother-in-law, Neil, which warned: 'Do not come in.'

The suicide note read: 'My world (Frankie and Susan) just ended. I love them so much, nobody can understand. Part of me wants to stay alive just so I can keep thinking about them. The pain is too much.

'Please say sorry to mum and Claire and tell them I love them,' he said, referring to Mrs McFall's children from a previous marriage.

The note continued: 'What I have done to Dan and Nick is beyond belief. Please try to understand mum. I could never cope with the situation.

'It's all over now. I hope I rot in hell.'

The two-day inquest into the three deaths was told Mr McFall faced financial ruin and a police investigation after his main customer, Stan's Superstore in Oswestry, suspended business with him amid allegations of invoice discrepancies.

The store provided Mr McFall with 95 per cent of his income, but he was confronted by company bosses in a meeting the day before his death about the irregularities.

Business-partner Peter Faulks told the court their relationship was based on 'mutual trust' and that he did not check the invoices Mr McFall provided.

But the store had lost more than £306,000 over seven years in the plants and flowers area of the business.

Summing up, Coroner John Ellery told the court: 'His financial world had collapsed. His source of business income, or at least 90-95 per cent of it had disappeared in a moment.'

The bloodied bodies of Francesca and her mother were found next to each other in the couple's bed at their home.

A post mortem showed Mrs McFall suffered one significant blow to the head and was possibly asleep when her husband of 20-years attacked her, while Francesa was struck five times in the head and had been dragged while still alive into the master bedroom.

A note was left by Francesca's pillow, which read: 'I love you more than anything I have ever loved. I could not let you suffer.'

It was signed, 'Daddy.'

The inquest was told McFall called 999 at 5am on the day and confessed to the murders.

Family members consoled each other as a tape recording was played to the court.

'Please get to my house. I have killed my wife and daughter. I love them so much,' it said.

McFall stamped on his mobile phone after making the desperate call.
Seedy details of McFall's private life emerged after police examined two computers from the family home and the business.

Internet history revealed he had a 'fascination' with pornography and prostitute websites.

Records showed evidence of searching for massage parlours and escort girls as well as HIV testing.

Mr Ellery said: 'It becomes related because of Mr McFall's interest and concerns over HIV and quite possibly whether he thought he may or my not have HIV or Aids.

'Were all these things going through his mind? We will never know.'

Mr McFall - whose business and personal debts combined were nearly £200,000 - had been probed by the Inland Revenue in 2003 for undisclosed cash transactions but the outcome found no discrepancies, his accountant Jonathan Hughes told the court.

The court heard the couple earned around £60,000 a year and were living within their means.

Giving evidence, Detective Sergeant Niall Parker, of West Mercia Police, said the allegations put to Mr McFall by Stan's Superstore would not have gone to court.

'If we were to present this to the Crown Prosecution Service I would suggest there would be insufficient evidence to proceed to court,' he said.

Mr Ellery recorded verdicts of unlawful killing in relation to Mrs McFall and Francesca and suicide for Mr McFall.

A statement was read by PC Lynn Downes outside the court after the proceedings while the family gathered behind.

It read: 'We are so deeply deeply sad over what happened to a happy, loving family and we continue to struggle to understand the circumstances. We cannot adequately put our loss into words. We loved them all so much.

'The loss of these wonderful people has left us devastated. There is now a huge void in our families which we continue to struggle to come to terms with. They will remain forever in our hearts.'

From: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1308375/Hugh-McFall-Father-bludgeoned-wife-daughter-death-wrote-I-hope-I-rot-Hell-suicide-note.html