Devastating story of teen who watched her step-father murder her family

On New Year’s Day 2012 suicidal taxi driver Michael Atherton went on a crazed shooting spree in his family home in Horden, County Durham, killing three women before pulling the trigger on himself.
 
Among the victims were his partner, Susan McGoldrick, her niece, Tanya Turnbull, and Tanya’s mother, Alison Turnbull. 

Susan Goldrick was shot in front of her daughter Laura, then 19, who says: 'I really wanted to stay and like help me mam and hug her, but me body just took us and ran. Me and Tanya were running together.'

'He aimed at us both, but he got Tanya most and me just a little bit, because our blood is mixed in on the dining room wall, up the wall.'

Laura also described her stepfather's chilling obsession with his guns: 'When he was drunk, he used to go upstairs, and you could hear the gun cabinet open. It was an accident waiting to happen.'
Despite being investigated three years earlier when officers were told he'd threatened suicide, Atherton was allowed to keep six guns in the family home.

When Susan tried to leave Michael to start a new life, he embarked upon the horrific late-night killing spree inside the family home.
Laura survived only by escaping through a first-floor window and jumping to safety. 

The story unfolds in a new TV documentary, which explores how the family members left behind following the horrific gun attack are still coming to terms with the events that took place.
It also follows their campaign to change gun licensing laws in the UK. 

Speaking about the tragic event, which took place in Horden, county Durham, Dr Keri Nixon said: 'This is one of the most brutal murders I have come across.'

 

So where did it all begin?
In 1992 at the age of 27, Susan gave birth to daughter Laura, but her marriage broke down.
When Laura was three months old Susan met local bodybuilder, Michael Atherton. 

But Susan's siblings had a bad feeling about him.

Susan's brother, Norman Hardman, said: 'He thought he was Mr. Perfect, and I said to my sisters you know there's just something not right. Cause I'd heard a few stories about him you know, going around, getting drunk, causing trouble.
'Something stood out because he was quiet and it was the way he used to look at people. He'd sort of have a stare when he looked at you.'

Forensic psychologist, Keri Nixon, who works with Merseyside Police in domestic homicide cases and has been looking into Atherton's profile for the documentary shed some light on this.
She explained: 'Body building was a major part of Atherton's life. He was obsessed with his image, he was obsessed with how big he was, he was obsessed with showing his body off at competing events. 

'This helps us understand how narcissistic he was.' 

Evil: Susan (L) met local body builder, Michael Atherton (R) when she was 27 but her family had a bad feeling about him

Atherton and Susan's relationship became serious very quickly, and in 1994, Susan gave birth to their son, Michael Junior.
At this point, to the rest of the world, they appeared like a perfect family unit. 

Susan's sister, Mavis Foster, said: 'The kids were all Susan's world. She was a brilliant mum. She'd do without anything if it meant getting for her kids.'
Daughter Laura said: 'She was very loving and caring, she loved her family so much, that's really all she lived for really, we were like the most important thing in her life.' 

While Susan doted on the children, Atherton appeared disinterested, especially in his stepdaughter Laura, who never saw him as a father figure.

As Laura grew up, Atherton spent as little time as possible with her and Susan's family claim Atherton tried to cut off contact between Susan and those closest to her.
Behind closed doors he'd beat Susan black and blue. 

He would drag her around by the hair, kick her and throw ornaments at her; she was forced to lie to those close to her and pretend she injured herself by walking into a wall.

Mother and daughter: Alison Turnbull and daughter Tanya (R) were victims of the mass shooting on New Year's Day

Teenage daughter Laura was witness to some of the horrific assaults.
Recalling the dark times, she said: 'He'd laid in bed pretend to be asleep, let me mam fall asleep, and then he kicked her in the leg and then dragged her by her hair, threw her down the stairs.'
It transpired that Susan had been admitted to hospital seventeen times for injuries caused by Atherton.

On top of the domestic violence, there was an even greater threat to Susan. Atherton had taken up a new hobby: shooting.
Laura explained: 'He used to show them [his guns] to friends, which is a stupid thing to do, which we told him. It was an accident waiting to happen. 

'There was something about his connection with the idea of having this power in his hands that really really enthralled him, and that should to many people have been a huge danger sign, you know a violent man, with issues, and violence with guns, it's not a healthy recipe.'

In 2008, Atherton showed just how dangerous he could be after an argument escalated between him and Laura and he threatened to shoot her.  

'After that argument, he said "ah I'm gonna go upstairs and blow me head off", and I was thinking in my head, "please do it cause I absolutely hate you". 

'Me mam phoned the police. When the police turn up, Atherton denied what happened. He pretended to be asleep on the bed and said that me mam was lying.'

The police confiscated Atherton's guns, but his license wasn't revoked, and a few months later the police returned the guns - a decision that had tragic consequences. 

Police were called to the family home four times over alleged domestic violence from Atherton towards Susan, Atherton was cautioned for one of the assaults, but Susan stayed with him and refused to press charges. 

On one of the occasions a police officer that attended the scene recorded that Susan was displaying classic symptoms of emotional abuse. 

In 2011, Atherton pushed her one step too far.

Standing up: It was when Athertron (not pictured) raised his hand to Laura that Susan ended the relationship and he lost his cool

Laura explained: 'He was drunk in the kitchen after being in the pub, I come in from uni about nine o'clock, and then he was shouting saying I'm a bitch and I'm evil, and then I was walking upstairs screaming and then he said come down here now I dare you, and I said what are you going to do, hit us like?
He raised his hand to Laura and that's where Susan stepped in, telling Atherton that the relationship was over.

Atherton moved out and Susan started thinking about the future, her children noted that they'd never seen her so happy.
A close friend of Susan's said: 'This woman was starting a new life, she was going be free of him, and that's what's just so terribly sad, at the point that she had the strength to stand up to him is the point which he took it all away. He knew it, he knew it was over this time, he knew that she was gone, and he couldn't face that.'

However, Atherton told Susan he had health problems and managed to persuade her into allowing him to stay at the house over Christmas. 

'Susan was a really good woman, she was a really good mother and a really good partner, and in spite of all the aggression, all the attacks, all the horror, she still feels responsible towards him,' said a family member.

But as far as Atherton was concerned, if she was going to live without him, then she wasn't going to live at all.
Surrounded by her family, Atherton realised he couldn't control 47-year-old Susan, and it tipped him over the edge. On New Year's Day, he loaded his gun and began shooting. 

Laura recalls: 'And then that's when he come in and shot me mam in the back. Practically point blank range in the back.'

In our prayers: 'There's never a minute of the day goes past without thinking of them', said Laura

Laura was injured from the shrapnel but managed to escape out of the bedroom window into next door's balcony.
After shooting Susan's sister Alison, 42, in a final insult, Atherton shot her daughter Tanya, 24, for a second time in front of her. 

Dr Keri Nixon believes Atherton planned to kill himself after the murders.
'He's not the kind of man that was going be in prison, that was the ultimate control. He controlled what happened to him as well, by shooting himself.'

In March 2013, an inquest into the murders revealed the extent of the domestic violence and uncovered the failing of Durham constabulary, which enabled Atherton to hold a fire arms license and commit those horrendous crimes.
 
Speaking in the aftermath of the terrible atrocity, Laura said: 'I just want her back. I can't believe I've been robbed of me mam, me sister, me aunty.  

Live on: The family have pulled together and are determined that the girls deaths will leave a lasting legacy

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