Suicide husband believed to have killed estranged wife

A husband in the North is believed to have killed his estranged wife before taking his own life, it was revealed tonight.

The body of mother-of-three Sharon Hull, 33, was found in her detached house in Carnbeg Meadows, Antrim, shortly after 8.30am today.

Ten minutes later her husband, Philip, was discovered in a red Ford Escort in a car park of the nearby Tardree Forest, in the Parkgate Road area of Kells, five miles away.

Detectives are treating Mrs Hull’s death as murder and her husband’s as an apparent suicide.

They are not looking for anyone else in connection with the deaths.

Local Ulster Unionist Party councillor Adrian Watson, who knew the couple, said the area was in shock.

“When the news started breaking, friends and family, everybody was in total shock,” he said.

“With a young family, lovely house, everything seemed to have been going quite well.

“Certainly no one would have suspected this event would have been brought to their door. A complete shock to everybody.”

Detectives from the PSNI’s Serious Crime branch are appealing for anyone who heard a disturbance in Carnbeg Meadows at around 3am to come forward.

The couple have two boys and one girl, all thought to be under 10, but none were in the house when the body was discovered.

Police confirmed there had been a restraining order in place against Mr Hull.

Mr Watson said the couple were well known and liked in the local community.

They had been long serving and active members of Antrim Rugby Football Club.

Chairman Hugh Wallace described the incident as a tragedy.

“They were both members of the club and our sympathy goes out to the family,” he said.

It is understood Mr Hull had been playing for the club since his teenage years and was a member of the men’s first team.

Mrs Hull, who it is understood worked as an accountant, was also an active member and had also played for a period.

The PSNI said detectives were keen to trace the movements of the Ford Escort, registration R257BMY, between 2am and 6am.

Police cordoned off the car park as forensic officers examined the vehicle to try and piece together the tragic sequence of events.