Epsom College head teacher 'made anguished call to sister minutes before she ... trends now

The headmistress of Epsom College made a distressed phone call to her sister minutes before she and her daughter were shot dead by her husband, the Mail understands.

Emma Pattison’s frantic call to her sister Deborah Kirk and her husband prompted relatives to jump into a car and drive out to her in Surrey. 

But tragically they arrived too late and discovered her body as well as that of her husband George, 39, and the couple’s seven-year-old daughter Lettie.

Mr Pattison shot dead his wife and their child before turning the gun on himself in their grace and favour home on the school grounds in the early hours of Sunday, police believe.

Surrey Police has referred itself to the independent watchdog over the triple shooting after it emerged they had been in touch with Mr Pattison just days before.

The killer had been a licenced shotgun holder for many years and officers had called him to check on the storage for his firearm last Thursday. Officers did not visit the premises.

Home Office regulations state that gun-owners must notify police of any change of address as soon as they move.

Though Mrs Pattison moved into her grace and favour home when she started her job last September, the family only handed over the keys to their old house a few weeks ago.

It was suggested Mr Pattison had continued to live at the family’s previous address for months after his wife took up her new post as the first female head at Epsom College.

Neighbours in Caterham said that Mrs Pattison, nor their daughter, had been seen since last summer but that Mr Pattison had spent time living in the property up until the £1.5million sale was completed last month. 

One said: ‘I could see the lights on in the evening and his car was around but never hers.’

Last night Zoe Roberts, a teacher at Caterham School where her friend Mrs Pattison also used to teach, said: ‘It is tragic and we wish this had never happened.

‘She was beautiful, inside and out. She was just the most wonderful person. We can’t put it into words at the moment, it is too raw. We are still working it out. It is just a tragic loss.’

A former neighbour added: 'I wasn't sure if anybody had actually moved out because I'd seen George quite recently. I saw him in the run up to Christmas.

'He was by himself, Emma and Lettie were not with him.

'His BMW 8 Series was parked on the drive. Emma drove a 4x4 but I'd not seen that for a while.

'In fact the last time I spoke to Emma was just before she got the job at Epsom College because she was telling me how she'd just got it and was to become head teacher of this big, prestigious school.

'I hadn't seen her nor her daughter since that day and that must have been earlier last summer. I think she moved out before George.