A retired City of London police firearms officer was today jailed for life for shooting dead his daughter’s fiancé with a 12-bore shotgun in a fit of rage after being told his ‘forever’ home was to be sold.
David Hucker (69) was informed that he must serve at least 26 consecutive years to be eligible for parole.
Maidstone Crown Court heard that Hucker fired twice at Robert Williamson with his shotgun on May 11, this year.
Williamson was a father of two when Hucker fired the legally held 12-bore Beretta DT10 into Williamson’s chest. The Beretta DT10 penetrated a lung, and fractured ribs.
Hucker then shot the 43 year-old in his neck and head.
The jury heard that the murder was a ‘death penalty’ which involved 16 second delay between two shots.
Screams and shouts of ‘He just shot me in the f***ing chest’ were heard by the operator who was trying to connect him to police.
Hucker, who was also a clay pigeon shooting enthusiast who taught at a local club, could be heard saying ‘I f***ing warned ya’ to Mr Williamson before the second shot rang out.
Court heard that the shooter was not aware that it was recorded as an emergency call.
David Hucker (pictured) was today jailed for life for shooting his daughter’s fiancé Robert Williamson dead and told he will have to serve at least 26 years before he is eligible for parole
Nicholas Corsellis, QC, prosecutor, stated that Hucker followed Williamson upstairs and loaded his gun with high-performance cartridges. He also removed the safety catch in order to “make sure it was ready for fire.”
After shooting Mr Williamson unarmed and “cowering”, he left the bedroom of Hucker’s Dartford, Kent terraced home.
Mr Corsellis said at the start of Hucker’s trial, in reference to the moments after the second shot was fired: ‘Standing over Mr Williamson was the defendant and on the phone he can be heard to say after that second shot ‘I f***ing warned ya’, and then finishing off with ‘F*** ya’.
“The Crown indicates that the words spoken speak for themselves. These words reflect that defendant was angry and killed his partner’s daughter, whom he considered his son-in law.
Maidstone Crown Court heard that Hucker had become angry after divorcee Mr Williamson, engaged to his daughter Samantha Hucker, revealed they planned to sell his house and told him to ‘f*** off out the house.’
His daughter had bought her father’s home in Dartford Road, where properties had an overall average price of £308,250 over the last year.
After he had divorced, Miss Hucker bought the house so Miss Hucker could live there.
The court learned that the couple had to leave their Northfleet home due to financial problems and Mr Williamson’s loss of his demolition and construction job.
Hucker had originally planned for the couple to temporarily live with him. Williamson was moving his possessions into Hucker’s home on the same day as the murder.
Maidstone Crown Court heard that Hucker had become angry after divorcee Robert Williamson, engaged to his daughter Samantha Hucker, revealed they planned to sell his house and told him to ‘f*** off out the house.’ Pictured are Hucker (left), and Mr Williamson.
The two men were described by Hucker as “Alpha males” and Hucker said they had a strained relationship. Mr Williamson revealed plans to also sell Hucker’s home.
Corsellis stated that he was facing losing his home of ‘forever’ and Mr Williamson’s call at police resulted in Hucker ‘quite intentionally’ shooting him twice.
He described the incident as “dynamic” and told the jury that it was the Crown’s case the defendant intended to murder Mr Williamson.
“He was so upset by Mr Williamson’s telling him to leave his home, that he arm himself with his gun and loaded it.
“He chased Williamson up the stairs and then took off safety. After Mr Williamson had called police to discuss his gun-loving passion and realized he couldn’t continue shooting, Williamson shot Williamson two times.
The court also heard that once in police custody, Hucker told an officer: ‘I used to be a firearms instructor for 40 years and worked for the City of London Police and what did I do, shoot the f***ing son-in-law.’
Hucker denied the murder of Williamson and stated that he did not intend to kill or hurt him, but that he was only trying to terrorize Williamson by firing his gun towards the ceiling.
He was found guilty after nine hours of jury deliberations.
Hucker, who denied the murder of Williamson and stated that he did not intend to kill or hurt him, claimed that he was only trying to scare Williamson with the bullet he fired into the ceiling. Pictured is the murder scene
Philip St.John Stevens, the judge sentencing Hucker to prison. He stated that Hucker did not show ‘any contrition whatsoever.
Hucker said that his combined 40-plus year experience in firearms and 40 years of safety education, had made him aware of the potential effects of a discharged firearm on other people.
“You walked up the stairs. Mr Williamson saw that you were carrying that gun, and must have been terrified. He was petrified and went into your bedroom to dial 999.
He said that you should never fire again. This was what caused you not to shoot the firearm once but two times.
“This was cowardly and callous murder. Robert Williamson is effectively your son in law and could call it your own act.
“It wasn’t because he told you that you had killed him. It was because you refused to accept the possibility that someone as young as 43 could question you.
“You could not accept his arrogance. You couldn’t believe that he wouldn’t stop talking. Your pride and arrogance may have been inseparable, since your daughter claimed that you were both Alpha men.
“I don’t doubt you meant to kill him.”
Miss Hucker spoke out in court about her life as a victim of the madness of her father who shot the man she considered the centre of her world. Pictured: The scene of the crime.
Miss Hucker spoke out in court about her life as a victim of the shooting death of her father, describing it as ‘destroyed’ by his madness.
“On the 11th May, my life was cut short when I heard that Robert had been killed… This has completely destroyed my life. She wrote that two figures from my life were taken away in the most deplorable manner.
Robert was my love and my best friend. He also became my comedian, my carer, and my center of the universe. This madness has destroyed my life I will never recover.
“To my father, who raised me, and was the leader of my family for many years, you have taken my Robert away from me. Your princess, my only question is: Why?
She referred to Miss Hucker’s two-week-long trial, in which she gave evidence, and said that it was ‘hard’.
Later, an expert concluded that Mr Williamson was shot with his muzzle at 1.5 metres and 3 meters from the initial shot and about one meter from the second.
When interviewed by police Hucker said that being told to ‘f*** off out the house’ was ‘the red touch paper’ and so he ‘flew up’ the stairs, having armed himself to frighten and ‘shut up’ Mr Williamson, who had also goaded him about his divorce. Pictured at Maidstone Crown Court (file photo)
When interviewed by police Hucker said that being told to ‘f*** off out the house’ was ‘the red touch paper’ and so he ‘flew up’ the stairs, having armed himself to frighten and ‘shut up’ Mr Williamson, who had also goaded him about his divorce.
He admitted that he was a person who “will test to extreme” and said it had “maybe gotten out of control”.
Hucker claimed that he only had the weapon loaded to “put a shot into the ceiling” and that the second discharge was an accident. However, his instincts had led him to fire it ‘twice’, according to what he was taught.
The jury heard, however, that Hucker made comments in the past about Williamson’s murder. This was even before the actual killing.
In an agitated state, he was said to have told his daughter in a phone call ‘I will kill him before he moves in here’, while a neighbour overheard him saying ‘I’m going to shoot the f***ing c**t’.
Hucker’s exwife Veronica was told by Williamson that Williamson had threatened Hucker with shooting him in the first row.
Police also heard from Barry Palmer, Hucker’s neighbour next door. He told police that Hucker had said to him “many times” that a shotgun would be able to sort Williamson out in the months preceding the fatal shooting.
According to Mr Williamson’s exwife, Hucker’s self-centered and callous actions had had a devastating impact on the two young children.
Oliver Saxby, QC, the defending party, stated to court that the heat that was generated in the house on that morning by Mr Williamson had been aggravated, stirred up, and exacerbated.
Kent Police’s top investigator for this case was Detective Chief Inspector Neil Kimber. He stated: “Mr Williamson was unnecessarily robbed of life by an extreme, pre-meditated, and senseless act.”
“While I’m pleased that we’ve gotten a conviction for Mr Williamson, it’s sad to see his loved ones having to go through these same events again in court. The death of Williamson has left a deep impression on all those who knew him. Our specialist officers worked tirelessly to support them.
I would like to also commend the call-handler’s actions, as she was faced with a very distressing phone call. They handled the difficult calls with great professionalism, despite all that they faced.
“Similarly, the attending officers saw a horrendous scene and were forced to act quickly. However, they managed to bring Hucker safely into custody and protect him from harm.”