08 February 2023 , 20:56
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Epsom College headteacher Emma Pattison and her husband had a last supper with pals hours before their deaths.
Emma Pattison, 45, her daughter Lettie and her husband George, 39, were all found dead at their home within the private school's grounds in Surrey, in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Surrey Police confirmed a firearm was found at the scene and believe George Pattison shot his wife and daughter before killing himself.
A friend has now described how nothing seemed "unusual" during the couple's supper with friends hours before the bloody rampage in the college ground.
They said the couple seemed gave no sign of being upset during a dinner party they held on the Saturday night.
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The pal said: "On Saturday night they threw a dinner party. It was quite an intimate affair and literally turned out to be their last supper.
Emma Pattison had taken on her new job as headteacher in September (PA)“Nothing unusual happened. There were no arguments, no indication he would go on to do something so horrific a short time later", reports The Sun.
Moments before the unspeakable tragedy, Emma, 45, is reported to have phoned her sister Deborah Kirk.
It's now understood that Emma's sister rushed to the scene after the distress call.
In a since-deleted student podcast, Ms Pattison spoke of how recent months in her new role had seen big changes for her family.
The family were found in the grounds of Epsom College (Jonathan Buckmaster)"In terms of transition it’s been a really big change for my family. We’ve moved house - we’ve bought a dog.
"I’ve got a new job, my husband has got a new job, that wasn’t meant to happen but it did and my daughter has started a new school so there’s been a lot of change for us as a family.”
The head said she "hadn't looked back" since entering into teaching and told the student-presented podcast "working with you people keeps you young, they keep you energised".
"I am absolutely loving my time here so far," Mrs Pattison added. "It's been very busy but absolutely wonderful. The college have been so supportive and everyone has been very, very welcoming."
Emma Pattison, head of Epsom College, seen here with her daughter, LettieIn May 2016, Mr Pattison had called police saying he had been assaulted at their home, claiming his wife had slapped him around the face.
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He then made a second call asking police not to visit and said he had overreached - however police did attend and arrested Mrs Pattison on suspicion of common assault.
She was questioned and later released without charge.
Police were reportedly told the couple were suffering with marriage problems at the time and Mrs Pattison's job as a deputy headteacher of an independent school in Leatherhead had caused issues.
Moments before the unspeakable tragedy, Emma, 45, is reported to have phoned her sister Deborah Kirk (Linkedin)Surrey Police had also visited the family home in Epsom three days before the killings after Mr Pattison notified them of a change of address in relation to his shotgun licence.
The Force has now made a self-referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct due to the short period of tine between their visit and the three deaths.