A suicidal gunman held his wife hostage for more than four hours before shooting himself in the head, a court heard this afternoon.

Mark Walters, 48, took his own life on the morning of Sunday, May 23 this year, just minutes after armed police surrounded his family home in Bushey Mill Lane, Bushey.

Hatfield Coroners’ Court heard how the married father-of-three, upset at the break-down of his marriage, woke his wife at 3am with an illegally-owned shotgun and promised to kill himself if she left him.

Mrs Walters’ sister, who, after receiving a panicked phone call, rushed to the house to drive the hostage and her son to safety, called police at 7.31am.

Armed officers arrived minutes later and sealed off the house and surrounding roads. A single gunshot was heard at 8.30am and, after forcing their way into the house, marksmen found Mr Walters lying in bed with a double barrelled shotgun at his side.

Mr Walters was due to star in an episode of the BBC’s DIY SOS before his death.

The court heard how Mr Walters’ marriage to primary school teacher wife Jennifer had been in meltdown since the start of the year, with police called to the house just two months before the fatal stand-off when he violently attacked the new kitchen installed during the filming of the popular show.

Matters had came to a head, however, after a night out in London on the evening of Saturday, May 22, when Mr Waters and his wife became separated and caught different trains home – an incident that had made Mr Waters “very annoyed.”

Addressing Mrs Walters, coroner Edward Thomas explained what happened when Mr Walters arrived home. “You were woken up by him in possession of a shotgun and he was threatening you. He went on and on about the relationship breakdown while one child was asleep in the spare room.”

Mr Thomas added: “He was terribly distressed and he was quite clear that he was going to end his own life if they were not going to stay together.”

The court heard that the couple’s 18-year marriage had been in trouble for some time, with Mr Walters seeking counselling from his GP on two occasions in April before the tragic events of May 23. There was no suggestion, however, that he posed a threat to himself or anyone else at that stage.

DS Stephen Angel, of Hertfordshire Constabulary, explained that the gun used by Mr Walters was held illegally and had its registration number etched from its casing.

Asked by Mr Thomas why officers had not made contact with the victim before the fatal shot, he explained that his officers were concerned primarily with protecting the public at the early stages of the siege.

DI Christine Burden, a specialist officer called upon to investigate fatal incidents involving the police, confirmed that normal procedure had been followed, explaining that trained negotiators were the only people permitted to speak to armed suspects in such situations. She confirmed that they were en route at the time of the shooting but had not arrived in time.

Recording a verdict of suicide, Mr Thomas turned to Mrs Walters and said: “I think you were in an impossible situation and my deepest sympathy goes out to all your family.”