Judge's death 'was not accident'

Kerry Sparrow said she did not believe the judge committed suicide

The mistress of a judge who died in an explosion in his garden shed told an inquest he did not die by accident.

Kerry Sparrow, 38, was giving evidence at Glastonbury Town Hall at the inquest into the death of Judge Andrew Chubb at his home in Chard, Somerset, in 2001.

Miss Sparrow, who stormed out of the inquest during her evidence but later returned, said the judge had told his wife of the affair just before he died.

She said: "I do not believe Andrew died accidentally or by his own hand."

He said he would call me later that night - he did not call Kerry Sparrow

Before the weekend of his death, Ms Sparrow claimed her lover was feeling "apprehensive" about returning to his home.

Recalling the night of his death, she said: "He phoned me to say he was about 10 minutes from the house.

"He said he would talk to her. He said he would not do anything to hurt me.

"He said he would call me later that night. He did not call."

Heavily drugged

Ms Sparrow explained how a phone call she had made to his house triggered Mr Chubb to admit the relationship.

Miss Sparrow said: "Andrew told me that as a result of my call he had told her. Later on he said he was in his car and had to get away from the house quickly."

The inquest is likely to end on Friday

Earlier she had stormed from the inquest when asked to read a statement she gave to police a week after the judge's death.

She said she could not read the statement as it was not true and she had been bullied by officers into giving it.

"I did sign it," she told the coroner. "But I didn't read it because I was so heavily tranquillised."

It is the second inquest into Mr Chubb's death after the judge's mistress won a High Court battle to reopen the case.

It also heard from a forensic pathologist who criticised the results of the original post-mortem examination.

Dr Hugh White told the inquest at Glastonbury Town Hall on Wednesday that they were "insufficient", "confusing" and "did not make sense".

The Home Office forensic pathologist said it would be impossible, from the evidence in the findings, to come to the conclusion that Mr Chubb had burned to death.

The case continues.