Mansion fire millionaire was facing 'severe financial difficulty'

The severe financial difficulties of former millionaire Christopher Foster were revealed today at his inquest.

The hearing into the deaths of the 50-year-old businessman, his wife Jill and teenage daughter Kirstie heard that his thermal insulation company, Ulva Ltd, went into liquidation in October 2007, leaving him in difficulty.

Police believe Mr Foster killed his 49-year-old wife and 15-year-old daughter at their £1.2m home in the village of Maesbrook, Shropshire, before setting fire to the property. Their burned bodies were found at Osbaston House days after the blaze in August last year.

The hearing at Shrewsbury magistrates court heard that in December 2005, Mr Foster told police his former accountant was blackmailing him over a joint property deal in Cyprus. Two defendants were prosecuted and found not guilty at Shrewsbury crown court in November 2006.

The inquest, attended by Mr Foster's mother Enid and his younger brother Andrew, was shown photographs of the luxury five-bedroom house before and after the blaze in the early hours of 26 August.

Images of the dining room showed containers of heating oil on the floor. The inquest was told an oil tank used to heat the property was sited in outbuildings and would have been full at the time of the fire.

The body of Christopher Foster was found lying on top of his wife on the floor beneath what would have been their bedroom.

Home Office pathologist Dr Alexander Kolar said Jill Foster died as a result of a gunshot wound to the back of the head, which appeared to have been carried out by another person. There was no indication she was alive during the fire, he said.

Their 15-year-old daughter had a wound to the left side of her head, caused by a high velocity impact. It was likely she died as a result of a gunshot wound, Dr Kolar said, but he could not rule out the possibility that her injury was caused by falling debris.

The court was told alcohol was found in Mr Foster's urine, indicating he may have been drinking on the night of the fire.

There was no evidence of gunshot wounds to Christopher Foster and the cause of his death was "inhalation of the products of combustion", he said. Evidence suggested he would have been alive during the fire. The inquest, expected to last two days, continues.

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