Our marriage was strong, says widow of barrister shot dead by police in Chelsea siege

Elizabeth Clarke, 40, said she and her husband Mark Saunders, 32, were "deeply committed to each other" and dismissed suggestions that their two-year marriage had been under strain.

An inquest heard today that Mr Saunders was shot five times by several different police weapons.

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Friends said she felt powerless after police refused to let her try to persuade her husband to surrender when she arrived home at the height of the siege.

One claimed that Miss Clarke, also a barrister, felt she may have been able to save him.

Investigators are now probing Mr Saunders's private life.

There have been rumours that the £500,000-a-year Oxford graduate was involved in a close relationship with another woman but this was angrily dismissed by friends last night.

Mrs Clarke's comments came as it emerged that her husband, a former Territorial Army soldier, was shot up to seven times after a five-hour shoot-out with police marksmen at his £2.2million flat.

Sources said Mr Saunders had at least three "potentially fatal wounds".

He died after opening fire on police on three occasions on Tuesday evening.

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Earlier, he shot at neighbours and other properties in Markham Square.

Yesterday the gunman's father questioned why police had needed to shoot his son.

Nine officers who exchanged fire with Mr Saunders - a depressive alcoholic - have been removed from operational firearms duties pending the outcome of an inquiry by the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

Last night senior police sources said the marksmen had been left with no alternative but to return fire as Mr Saunders went on the rampage with his shotgun.

Paul Robinson, former head of Scotland Yard's Specialist Firearms Command, said: "In incidents like this, officers first contain the premises, then isolate the individual and try to negotiate him out of the building.

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"Unfortunately it appears that in this particular case the man was not amenable to discussion with the police and repeatedly opened fire."

A separate inquiry is expected to probe how, despite being an alcoholic, Mr Saunders had his shotgun certificate renewed by police just eight months ago.

In a statement released on her behalf through her chambers, QEB, Miss Clarke revealed her torment.

The statement said it was "a very distressing time for all of Mark's family, who loved him dearly".

"Mark and Elizabeth had a strong union and were deeply committed to each other," it went on.

Miss Clarke said that contrary to early reports, she was not at the couple's home "prior to the terrible events which led to Mark's death".

"She was in fact at work, and arrived home only after the area had been cordoned off," the statement said.

Friends said she wanted to persuade her husband to surrender.

Officers told her it was "too dangerous" to enter the flat, as she might have been taken hostage or even killed.

In addition, it is understood that Mr Saunders - who was drunk - was not answering his phone.

Her father-in-law, a quantity surveyor from Alderley Edge, Cheshire, suggested the five-hour stand-off in Chelsea could have been resolved peacefully without the need for marksmen to shoot his son.

Rodney Saunders, 64, said: "Put it this way, he didn't endanger anyone at all to my knowledge and we can only surmise what might have happened-before the whole thing started. I just don't know. You would imagine that it will come out in the fullness of time. We will want answers as to why police shot him."

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Mr Saunders's mother Elizabeth revealed how his wife returned home from QEB Chambers, where the couple worked as barristers, but was not able to pass the police cordon.

She confirmed her son had a drinking problem, but denied his marriage had been in trouble.

"Liz and Mark's marriage was stable," she said.

"We had a family get together a couple of months ago and everything was normal.

"We are devastated. Mark and Liz were a golden couple, there had been no row on Tuesday.

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"Mark did have drink issues, but Liz was his life. Everything he touched he succeeded at. He had a stressful job, but never spoke of any pressures or stresses. We are at a loss to explain what happened."

A family friend added: "It is a massive tragedy. His two sisters adored him and are very upset. Mark had been invited on a shoot and loved shooting, that is why there were guns in the house, but they were locked away in a proper cabinet."

An inquest into Mr Saunders's death will be opened today.

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Two ticks that let him keep his gun licence

By ticking two boxes, Mark Saunders was able to renew his shotgun licence from police eight months ago.

It has emerged since his death on Tuesday that the lawyer had a history of alcoholism and depression which was known to colleagues and his parents.

He had to complete the renewal form last October when he and his wife Elizabeth moved into their Chelsea home.

Crucially, he would have had to tick a box and answer yes or no to two key questions on the four-page Firearms Form 103. Question 15(a) asks: "Do you suffer from any medical conditions or disability including alcohol and drug related conditions?"

Question 15(c) asks: "Have you ever attended your present or previous general practitioner for treatment of depression or any other kind of mental or nervous disorder?"

It is understood he answered no to both questions.

The Daily Mail has learned an investigation is under way into who cleared Mr Saunders to retain his licence and what checks - if any - were made on his state of mind.