A POLICE probe into a shooting at the former home of John and Joan Stirland ground to a halt for five months while officers investigated the murder of an Arnold jeweller.

A homicide detective, referred to as Officer G, today told the inquest into the Stirlands' murder that Marian Bates' killing delayed the analysis of evidence gathered from the scene of the shooting at the couple's old home in Carlton, which happened in September 2003.

Another officer, referred Officer F, who was leading the inquiry into the Stirland shooting, was moved by the force to investigate Mrs Bates' murder, which happened around ten days later.

Officer G said: "Officer F was under pressure with that new investigation and I offered assistance to see if there was anything we could do.

"The investigation was in a state of inertia because Office F had gone. I was trying to get it going again."

Martin Huseyin, counsel for Mrs Stirland's son Michael O'Brien, told the inquest that evidence recovered from the Carlton shooting, including bullet fragments, was not submitted for examination until February 2004, five months after the attack.

Officer G also told the inquest he was too busy dealing with organised crime among Nottingham's Jamaican community to deal with the shooting at the Stirlands' old home.

He said there was "no possibility whatsoever" he could look into the shooting at the Stirland's old home in Carlton in September 2003.

He said: "I was made aware that it was at the home of the mother of Michael O'Brien. I declined to accept primacy for that investigation.

"My position was that we were already working to and beyond capacity."

He added: "As a police officer it leaves a mark and it personally affects you. The fact it happened on your watch and was carried out by people in your city is a heavy burden to carry."

The inquest also heard the Stirlands ignored police warnings and attended a wedding in Nottingham around a month before they were murdered.

A Notts police officer, referred to only as Officer J, said Mrs Stirland had also wanted to move back to Nottingham in November 2003.

But the couple continued to live in their new home in Trusthorpe, Lincolnshire.

Officer J said: "Joan wanted to move back to Nottingham but the advice was quite clear not to."

Officer J told the inquest there was always the potential for the Stirlands to "put themselves in harm's way" if they did move back to the city.

He said: "There was always that risk. Our advice to the Stirlands throughout was do not come back to Nottingham and that we will support them in relocation to other areas outside Notts."

Despite this, the inquest heard the Stirlands returned to see friends in Nottingham on a number of occasions and entertained old friends at their new home.

The inquest earlier heard there was an 80-minute delay in police visiting John and Joan Stirland on the morning of their murders while an officer went on an "airport run".

Officer J told the inquest that police did not think reports of a prowler at the Stirlands' home the night before their deaths were serious.

He said: "It is still my basis now that, given the information at the time, there was no direct threat.

"There could have been a whole variety of reasons why that person was there at the time."

Mr and Mrs Stirland were gunned down in their home in Trusthorpe in Lincolnshire in August 2004.

Their killings were revenge attacks plotted by Colin Gunn after Mrs Stirland's son Michael O'Brien killed Marvyn Bradshaw who was a close friend of Gunn's nephew Jamie.

Jamie became ill after the murder and died the following year.

Martin Huseyin, representing O'Brien at the inquest in to the couple's deaths, questioned Officer J about the police response on the morning of their murder.

Mr Huseyin said: "Another officer, referred to as Officer F, took a call from Mrs Stirland at 11.30am on August 8 2004 about the prowler incident."

Officer F then called Officer J who then attempted to contact another officer, known as Officer K, who had been the main point of contact with the Stirlands since September 2003.

Mr Huseyin said: "You tried to get hold of K, which was the logical choice but you could not get hold of him.

"You then had an airport run to do and got hold of K at 12.50pm.

"We have got a gap of around one hour and 20 minutes, effectively because you cannot get hold of K."

In response J said: "There were a number of reasons.

"On one occasion I could not get hold of K, I then spent some time on the phone to another senior officer in relation to another murder investigation, I then conducted that airport run and it was on completion of that I then tried Officer K again."

Officer J said Mrs Stirland had waited around 30 minutes to inform police of the prowler in the first place so officers did not feel there was such a sense of urgency.

He said: "We felt the need to investigate it but at the time felt the response was an appropriate one."

Officer J also told the inquest that he did not contact Lincolnshire Police at the time because Mrs Stirland wanted "it playing low key."