A farmer strangled his churchwarden father and buried him on the family farm after becoming convinced the older man planned to leave the property to another relative, an inquest heard.
Charles Wright, 52, had an “enormous blazing row” with his 82-year-old father, Brian, over the future of Hall Farm near Newark, Nottinghamshire. He later described seeing “a flash of red” before dragging his father from a car and strangling him.
In a voice note sent from his mobile phone, Wright said his father—who was a churchwarden at St Bartholomew’s Church in Langford and had served on Winthorpe with Langford Parish Council—was “thinking of replacing him” and giving “the lion’s share of the farm to another family member”.
In the recording, he said: “I just had a flash of red and after 25 years and everything I have given him, he was just cutting me out like that.
“I just saw red, dragged him out of the car and throttled him.”
Wright also said he planned to take his own life.
The voice note was passed to police on November 22 last year, two days after Brian Wright was reported missing.
That same day, Charles Wright drove at his brother, James, who was running with a friend, “causing injury”. Wright’s body was later discovered in an outbuilding at the family farm.
Churchwarden Brian Wright, 82, was strangled by his son after an “enormous blazing row”, an inquest heard
An inquest into the double tragedy at Nottingham Coroner’s Court concluded this afternoon. Senior Coroner Mairin Casey found that Brian Wright had been unlawfully killed and that his son had died by suicide.
Addressing relatives attending in person and by video link, she said: “The horror of this, I’m clear in my mind, will have affected all of those who have survived in a very deep and painful way.”
The inquest heard that, during the fierce argument, Brian Wright called his son “useless” and “not capable of farming”. He also said it had been “a mistake to let him farm that land”.
Detective Chief Inspector Ruby Burrow, of Nottinghamshire Police, described the voice note to the hearing.
“Charles stated that he had killed his father and intended to kill himself,” she said.
“He described that his father Brian had criticised him and there had been a disagreement about finances.
“He stated he had buried his father Brian on the family farm.”
Brian Wright was reported missing shortly before midnight on November 20 after failing to take his wife to a hospital appointment, the inquest heard.
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The next day, Charles Wright, his brother James and a mechanic who worked on the family farm spoke to police.
Charles Wright, 52, feared he was being “cut out” of the future of the family farm in Nottinghamshire
DCI Burrow told the inquest that Wright, who was interviewed the day before his death, had helped officers understand the family’s troubled relationships and long-running disputes, including disagreements over money and the way the farm was operated.
“He described an argument he had had with his father. He described his father had been critical towards him and he, himself, had taken some time to calm down,” she said.
Wright told police that his father had “left in the opposite direction” after what he characterised as a “small argument”, the hearing was told.
Later on November 21, Brian Wright’s vehicle was reported to have been seen “out of place” after being left overnight. His body was discovered buried in a shallow grave on the farm four days later.
The cause of death was pressure applied to the neck, the inquest heard.
DCI Burrow also told the hearing that police received a report on November 22 of “a collision between a vehicle and two gentlemen”. The vehicle had apparently been driven at them deliberately.
She said Charles Wright had driven at his brother James, who was running with a friend, “causing injury”.
Charles Wright took his own life later that day. His body was found in an outbuilding area at Hall Farm, while his father’s body was discovered three days later.
The inquest heard that earlier tensions at the farm had led to an unnamed family member temporarily losing a firearms licence. There were concerns that firearms “could be used inappropriately because of tensions within the family”.
DCI Burrow said: “The evidence shows that Charles Wright murdered his father, and that there was no third-party involvement in the death.
“The evidence showed [Charles] took his own life, and that there was no third-party involvement in that either.”
Ms Casey described the case as “truly tragic” and offered her condolences to the family.
“Whatever tensions there may have been leading to this tragedy, we have here the loss of two men, who were fathers to surviving children, and a grandfather,” she added.
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