The husband of a solicitor who died after she was shot at their Suffolk home has admitted manslaughter.

Before Ipswich Crown Court on Friday (September 11) for a plea hearing via a prison video link was 51-year-old Peter Hartshorne-Jones.

He pleaded not guilty to murdering his 41-year-old solicitor wife Silke Hartshorne-Jones at their farmhouse in The Green, Barham, but guilty to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility.

Hartshorne-Jones was charged with murder after his wife was found shot inside their family home on the morning of Sunday, May 3.

Mrs Hartshorne-Jones was found lying on the floor upstairs inside the home, with two gunshot wounds, after police were called to the scene at 4.45am.

She was taken to Ipswich Hospital but died a short time later at 6.42am.

A postmortem examination confirmed her death was the result of two gunshot wounds.

A provisional trial date has been set for October 26 at Ipswich Crown Court.

Friday’s hearing was adjourned to allow the prosecution to obtain its own psychiatric report on the defendant.

A further case management hearing will take place on October 15.