The conflicting accounts of the shed blaze

The case of a man who burnt to death in his garden shed after asking his wife for a divorce has been re-opened after his mistress spent six years investigating the circumstances in which he died.

Judge Andrew Chubb died in July 2001 at his home in Chard, Somerset after telling his spouse Jennifer Chubb that he wanted a marital separation.

The 58-year-old had been married to Mrs Chubb, 60, for 34 years but he had been having an affair with Kerry Sparrow for two years before he died, and she refused to believe the outcome of the original inquest which concluded that her lover lost his life as the result of a tragic accident.

She set about gathering evidence to suggest that he had been killed as the result of foul play.

At the new inquest, held in Glastonbury yesterday (Tuesday), the court heard how Mrs Chubb gave two versions of the events surrounding her husband's death, initially telling police that he had committed suicide but later contradicted herself by telling them that he had never once spoke about killing himself.

She was later arrested on suspicion of perjury and murder but was not charged. The case continues.

Share your story