AN inquest in Chippenham On Wednesday May 8 was the culmination of months of investigation by police which untangled a web of intrigue within a seemingly respectable Sikh family.

That outward facade was blown away in December when Sawa Singh, 51, who had three grown up children and was known as Charlie, was found dead with gunshot wounds at his home at The Causeway, Chippenham.

Police and paramedics who descended on the house just after 5.30am found Sawa's younger brother Kashmira, and Kashmira's wife Diola critically injured with shotgun wounds.

Police initially treated the incident as a murder inquiry but as they delved deeper they found the two brothers were part of a feud that had split a family apart.

A letter written by Sawa addressed to his children was found by police and this gave them a chilling insight into his intentions to maim his 42-year-old brother and his sister-in-law.

In it he said he intended to shoot father-of-five Kashmira in the hands so he would no longer be able to take money and to shoot 38-year-old Diola in the legs so she could not take the money and hide it.

He apologised to his children and told them he loved them.

But the letter made no mention of whether or not Sawa intended to take his own life.

Police had to investigate whether he had pulled the trigger himself after the initial shooting or if someone else had turned the gun on him.

A file was sent to the Crown Prosecution Service but it was decided there was not sufficient evidence to proceed.

Police this week also revealed that the gun that was used in the shooting had belonged to Kashmira. It had been reported stolen last April and police had interviewed family members but had not got to the bottom of the theft.

Both criminal and civil actions had been started by Sawa against his brother Kashmira over financial matters.

The family had owned several businesses in the town but had often run into financial problems.

Just days before the shooting, Sawa had lost a civil action against his brother over business dealings and police believe it was this that led him to write the letter and carry out the shootings.

The shotgun he had used had been sawn down and police experts discovered it would have been possible for him to have pulled the trigger to kill himself after carrying out the shootings.

It was also revealed during investigations that although the brothers and members of their families shared the house in The Causeway, they lived separate lives.

Their mother remained on speaking terms with both of them but since the death of Sawa she has moved out of the house and gone to live with other family members in a different area of the town.

Family torn apart by shotgun tragedy

Police investigating officer Detective Sergeant Nick Shorten said the case had been a complicated matter which was made more difficult by the tension within the family.

He said the police had originally arrested Kashmira Singh on suspicion of murder as it had been impossible to tell who had pulled the trigger on the gun which had killed his brother.

Mr Singh was arrested and cautioned by police the day after the shooting as he lay under guard in a side room at the Bristol Royal Infirmary. He was later transferred to nearby Frenchay Hospital for skin grafts.

But just before Christmas police announced that Mr Singh would be allowed to go home for the holiday period and would not be questioned until January. It was then announced that he would not be charged and it would be left to the inquest to hear the full details of the case.

At the time of the shooting, longtime family friend, auctioneer Alan Aldridge, from Devizes, said the family had been torn apart by the tragedy. "They are devastated," he said. "The whole family is devastated. It is such a horrendous tragedy to happen to such lovely people."

Mr Aldridge has known the family for 25 years. He first met Sawa, known as Charlie to friends, when the two men were being interviewed for the same job. They got chatting and a friendship blossomed.

Mr Aldridge visited the family soon after the shooting and said afterwards: "Everyone is so upset. It appears to be a horrendous accident, something went tragically wrong."

In 1996 the family suffered a racial attack on their own doorstep. Thugs savagely beat Kashmira and his younger brother Kiker.

Kashmira suffered a serious eye injury and his sight never recovered.

Sawa Singh had worked as a supervisor at Nestle in Trowbridge and as a driving instructor. He had recently suffered ill health and was not working.

The house in The Causeway is divided into two, with a connected ground floor. Charlie Singh lived there with his wife and mother. Kashmira and Diola lived in another section with their five children.