Coroner demands gun licensing overhaul after three woman killed by man who legally owned six weapons Andrew Tweddle said he was writing to the Home Secretary to call for "root and branch" reform of the laws governing the licensing of firearms following the inquest of a taxi driver who murdered three members of his family before killing himself on New Year's Day 2012. A separate investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission released today accused Durham Constabulary of demonstrating a "reprehensible lack of intrusive inquiries" in events leading up to the rampage. Michael Atherton had a history of domestic abuse but had had his weapons returned to him in September 2008 just weeks after they were confiscated following threats to "blow his head off." He was given a warning. IPCC commissioner Nicholas Long said the inquiry had identified a series of blunders and poor practice including "woeful record keeping" in the force's handling of the case. She said: "Had just one person obtained a complete picture of Atherton's history as a perpetrator of domestic violence, many incidents occurring whilst he was under the influence of alcohol, then it may have alerted police to a pattern of behaviour which required far greater scrutiny. It is beyond doubt that Durham Constabulary missed valuable opportunities to assess his suitability to be granted a licence and remain a gun owner. Returning a verdict of unlawful killing and suicide Mr Tweddle said it was fortuitous that there were not more tragedies of the sort which occurred in the former mining village of Horden near Peterlee in County Durham. Atherton, 42, legally owned six weapons including three shotguns. He killed his partner, Susan McGoldrick, 47, her sister, Alison Turnbull, 44, and Ms Turnbull's daughter, Tanya, 24, following a drunken row. Ms McGoldrick's daughter and her boyfriend managed to escape after climbing out of the window of the family home. The coroner said there had been systematic shortcomings leading up the tragedy. He said Durham police gave "undue significance" to the possibility of losing an appeal if they revoked or refused a licence. "In my opinion, the issues revealed by my inquiries into these deaths have made it absolutely clear and beyond doubt that a root and branch review of policy, guidance and procedures and indeed possibly legislation too, to ensure... that the protection of the public is paramount," he said. Mr Tweddle added: "The review undertaken by Durham Police has revealed an enormous number of unsatisfactory decisions having been made and it is fortuitous that, significant as this incident has been, there has not been more. Speaking outside the hearing family member Ms Turnbull's son Bobby Turnbull, said the inquest exposed serious flaws in the way applications for shotguns and firearms were managed by Durham Constabulary Firearms Licensing Unit. This includes lack of training if any at all, lack of process, lack of accountability, poor leadership and poor communication structure. The family have had a very emotional and upsetting week but we will continue with our commitment to improvements to public safety, to ensure no other family have to endure what we have gone through and will go through for the rest of our lives," he said. The inquest heard that there was no formal training for police officers involved in granting firearms licences. A note attached to Atherton's first application for a firearms licence in 2006 said: "Four domestics, last one 24/4/04, was cautioned for assault. Still resides with partner and son and daughter. "Would like to refuse, have we sufficient to refuse re public safety?" However Mr Atherton was granted a shotgun licence and then a firearms licence two years later. Durham Police chief constable Michael Barton apologised to the families. He said that the licensing unit had been too preoccupied with administration rather than investigating the suitability of candidates to own a gun. In 2010 two officers from Durham police were given suspended prison sentences for selling on weapons that had been handed in by members of the public. In a statement Atherton's father Peter said: "We still have no idea why Michael decided to take the course of action that he did. We hoped to have been provided by someone the answers we were seeking during this investigation and inquest. Unfortunately, this has not been the case as the only person who could have answered our main question as to what pushed Michael over the edge that night is not here to give these answers. The shooting came 18 months after another taxi driver Derrick bird went on a 45 mile rampage in Cumbria shooting dead 12 people before committing suicide. Britain is widely considered to have some of the toughest gun laws in the world following mass shootings at Hungerford in 1987 and Dunblane in 1996. The system of licensing - which requires separate certificates for shotguns and other weapons - is administered by individual police forces. The British Association for Shooting and Conservation, said "clear opportunities" to prevent the tragedy were missed. In a statement it said: "Durham Police have broken the bond of trust which exists between the public and the police in the administration of the UK's firearms laws. After this tragedy we have to ask ourselves if 43 different police forces operating different systems with no common training or standards and varying interpretations of government guidance is the right way to protect public safety and ensure efficient licensing.