Shot mother 'had other injuries'

A woman found dead alongside her toddler daughter suffered several other injuries before being shot.

The results of a post-mortem examination said the gunshot wound was the "major contributory factor" to Christine Chambers's death at her home in Braintree, Essex.

But a police spokeswoman has now confirmed the 38-year-old suffered other injuries during the attack, though no details were given.

Ms Chambers and her two-year-old daughter Shania were found dead following a stand-off between police and the gunman in Bartram Avenue in the early hours of Monday.

The provisional cause of death given for Shania was a "single gunshot wound".

Neighbours reported hearing screams and banging coming from inside the home in the build-up to the shootings.

A man - named locally as David Oakes, 50, a former partner of Ms Chambers - is currently "heavily sedated" and under police guard at a nearby hospital after undergoing treatment for non-life threatening injuries. Detectives said they are not looking for anybody else in connection with the incident.

Ian Flitt, Ms Chambers's former partner and the father of her 10-year-old daughter who escaped the house to raise the alarm, paid tribute to the "fantastic mother", but also added his voice to calls for answers after it emerged police had been aware of concerns for Ms Chambers's safety for up to two years and as recently as 11 days before the death.

"She called them so many times asking 'When are you going to do something, when are you going to do something?'" he said.

It is believed Ms Chambers ended her on-off relationship with Mr Oakes in April and the pair were involved in a custody battle.