A retired stockbroker with dementia shot his terminally ill wife before turning the gun on himself after telling a 999 operator the couple could 'only see death before them ' , an inquest has heard . Harold Ambrose , 82 , used a licenced shotgun to shoot his cancer-stricken wife , Wendy , as she slept then shot himself , Chelmsford Coroners ' Court heard . The 77-year-old mother-of-one had been given just six months to live just days earlier . The coroner was told that Mr Ambrose called 999 from the couple 's £260,000 thatched cottage at 6.37am on May 24 last year , and told police he had shot his wife and intended to kill himself as 'we only see death and horrible things in front of us ' . Harold Ambrose , 82 , used a licenced shotgun to shoot his cancer-stricken wife , Wendy , as she slept then turned it on himself at their cottage in Essex ( pictured ) , Chelmsford Coroners ' Court heard . DC Lea Goodwin said : 'He informed the operator he had just shot his wife and planned to shoot himself in the very near future . 'He said his wife and himself were in love , we enjoyed life but now we only see death and horrible things in front of us . 'He terminated the call . 'She tried to call back but received no answer . ' Armed officers attended the two-bedroom thatched cottage in the picturesque village of Boxted on the outskirts of Colchester , Essex , at 7am and found two bodies . Police discovered the body of Mr Ambrose in the garden while his wife's body was found in a chair in the living room that she slept in due to back problems . A post-mortem revealed Mr Ambrose suffered a self-inflicted shotgun wound to the face , while Mrs Ambrose had two gunshot wounds . The inquest today ruled Mrs Ambrose had been unlawfully killed while Mr Ambrose took his own life . Mrs Ambrose had been in and out of hospital in the months prior to her untimely death and was diagnosed with malignant adenocarcinoma - a type of cancer that forms in mucus-secreting glands through out the body - on May 6 . Doctors had given her a prognosis of just six to nine months to live . But the inquest was told that Mrs Ambrose had raised the couple 's concerns about moving into a home during a carer 's home visit . Police discovered the body of Mr Ambrose in the garden while his wife 's body was found in a chair in the living room that she slept in due to back problems . Coroner Eleanor McGann said : ' A carer visited the home on May 23 at 2pm . At that time Mrs Ambrose was talking about having to sell the house and move into a care home . 'She said they would be sad to leave the house . ' The court heard that Mr Ambrose was the legal owner of a single-barrelled shotgun despite recent concerns about the onset of dementia . Police revealed they had performed the mandatory five-year review in Ocotber 2011 before these concerns were raised and his GP had failed to inform them of further developments . Chief inspector Glen Pavelin said : 'Had Essex Police been in receipt of information from the GP around his deteriorating health that would have generated a period of review and intervention . ' Coroners Mrs McGann said : 'These are a very , very sad set of circumstances . ' I am going to draw the attention of the Home Office to the fact that GP 's surgery was under no legal obligation to inform Essex Police of Mr Ambrose 's dementia . ' The inquest at Chelmsford Coroners ' Court ( stock picture ) today ruled Mrs Ambrose had been unlawfully killed while Mr Ambrose took his own life . The couple had been described by neighbours in the village as 'pillars of the community ' , and at the time , neighbours paid tribute to the loving couple . Anne Grant , who lived nearby said : 'Harold and Wendy were a really likeable and very well-respected couple . 'They were very kind and friendly and had lived in the community for more than 30 years . 'They were pillars of the community . 'They were really smart and a couple who were very loving and close to one another . 'Wendy had n't been very well and had been diagnosed with cancer and Harold was in the early stages of dementia . ' One good friend and neighbour said : 'There is no way he would have hurt her without good reason . 'Mr Ambrose was a classic country gentleman - very traditional and law abiding . 'He would tip his cap to you if saw you in the lane . 'We know that his wife had suffered from poor health for several years . 'Recently she had been in and out of hospital with respiratory problems . 'My understanding of the facts is that he wanted to end her pain and could not bear to live without her . '
Harold Ambrose used licenced shotgun to shoot terminally ill wife , Wendy . 77-year-old mother-of-one had been given 08457 90 90 90 to live . Mr Ambrose told 999 operator that the couple were in love and enjoyed life . But he said : 'Now we only see death and horrible things in front of us ' For confidential support call the Samaritans in the UK on just six months , visit a local Samaritans branch or click here .