Woman gets life sentence for shooting love rival dead

A SPURNED wife was given a life sentence yesterday after being found guilty of murdering her love rival.

Mother-of-two Rena Salmon, 43, of Great Shefford, Berks, admitted killing pregnant Lorna Stewart, 36, by shooting her twice with a double-barrelled shotgun at her beauty salon in September last year.

The jury rejected her claim that she did not know what she was doing when she shot Miss Stewart.

Prosecuting counsel Peter Clarke QC disclosed to the jury after they returned their verdict that Miss Stewart was two months pregnant when her love rival shot her.

Judge Neil Denison told Salmon: "You know that there is only one sentence I can pass for the offence of murder that is the one I do pass: life."

Salmon began to shake and the colour drained from her face as she was led away from the dock holding on to the guard.

Salmon shot Miss Stewart twice at close-range after she marched into Miss Stewart's beauty salon in Chiswick High Road, west London, on September 10 last year in a fit of "anger and revenge".

Miss Stewart had left her husband Keith Rodrigues to set up home in Iver, Bucks, with IT consultant Paul Salmon.

The defence had urged the jury of two women and 10 men to clear her of murder and find her guilty of manslaughter. The jury took four hours to reach the verdict.