Man, 28, charged with having a revolver ‘linked to the murder’ of a mother-of-two, 36, who was held hostage in her home on Coronation Day
- Hayley Burke, 36, was killed while being held hostage in her home in Dartford
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A man has been arrested after allegedly being found with a revolver said to be linked to the murder of a mother-of-two who was taken hostage in her home.
Hayley Burke, 36, was shot during a stand-off with armed cops and police negotiators at her house in Dartford, Kent, on Saturday afternoon – as millions watch King Charles being coronated.
A 29-year-old man who also suffered gunshot injuries during the same incident is still in a critical condition in hospital and is being treated as the suspect in a murder probe after Ms Burke died of her injuries two days later.
Police today confirmed a man was arrested on Tuesday and charged with having a Smith and Wesson revolver before the killing.
Terry Beaton, 28, from Dartford, is accused of being in possession of a prohibited firearm before Friday. Beaton was due to appear at Medway Magistrates’ Court today.
Hayley Burke died in hospital on Monday evening after she was shot on Saturday afternoon
Police officers at the scene on Priory Road in Dartford, Kent, on Saturday afternoon
He was also charged with possessing cannabis with intent to supply, driving while disqualified and driving without insurance.
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A source said the weapon is being linked to the separate investigation into the murder of Ms Burke.
Witnesses said after a stand-off, which lasted about an hour, ‘pandemonium’ broke out and said the woman had been ‘held hostage’ by a man at the back of the property.
A woman who lives near where the hostage situation took place described the scene as like a terror attack.
She said: ‘After many hours talking between the police and a man, I heard loud gun shot sounds and what seemed like six gun-shot sounds.
‘The scene was horrific. I have never seen anything like it around here. I thought it must be terrorist-related.’
Ms Burke, from Dartford in Kent, had two sons whom friends said ‘were her life’
She then discovered a double-glazed window had been shattered in a bedroom of her house and a ‘bullet’ was wedged inside the outer and inner pane.
The woman added: ‘I stayed inside all day, as I was too frightened to go outside in the situation.
‘It went on for hours. And then at about 4.30pm we saw a woman being given CPR outside a garage. We still had no idea what was going on.’
A murder investigation is now being led by the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate.
