Sister Claims Headteacher Had ‘Planned to Leave Her Husband’ Days Before He Shot the Entire Family

Emma Pattison, the headteacher of Epsom College, along with her seven-year-old daughter Lettie, and husband George, were tragically found dead in a suspected murder-suicide at their home on the college grounds. Surrey Police, confirming the discovery of a firearm at the scene, believe that George Pattison shot his wife and daughter before taking his own life on February 5.

Emma’s sister, Deborah Kirk, has now revealed a harrowing backdrop to this tragedy. She claims that Emma had been planning to leave her husband just days before the incident, citing concerns about abusive and coercive behavior from George. Speaking about her last meeting with Emma a week before the deaths, Kirk expressed her belief that Emma had made the brave decision to leave her husband.

In heartfelt letters published in The Sunday Times Magazine, Kirk reflects on the devastating loss, emphasizing that Emma had reached the point of deciding to leave the relationship. She had hoped for a future where her sister could enjoy a loving relationship and look back in disbelief at having endured such a situation for so long.

The grim discovery of the family was made following a distressed call from Mrs. Pattison to her sister. Despite rushing to the scene from their home in south-east London, Mrs. Kirk and her husband found the family already deceased upon their arrival.

While some neighbors perceived the Pattisons as a normal family, Mrs. Kirk has shed light on a different, darker reality, describing her sister’s marriage as abusive. She lamented the possibility that Emma might have been killed because she expressed her intention to leave George, told Daily Mail.

George Pattison, a chartered accountant with a passion for sports cars, was born in Jamaica to an English father and a mother from Southeast Asia. The couple married in 2011, and their daughter was born four years later. The ongoing inquest into the deaths, initially set for last October, has been delayed, with the coroner awaiting further information from Surrey Police.

This tragic case has cast a spotlight on the complexities and dangers of abusive relationships, leaving the family and community in mourning and raising critical questions about the circumstances leading to such a heartbreaking outcome.