A 75-year-old North-East man called police requesting two coffins and an undertaker before shooting his wife in the head and then turning the gun on himself, an inquest heard today.

Robert and Vera Stirling, both originally from Newcastle, had been married for more than 50 years when their bodies were found by officers called to the scene.

They were lying side by side in a double bed in their house in Presteigne, Powys, at 1.40am on Sunday June 17 this year.

Officers arrived at the couple's house after an inspector in the Dyfed, Powys operations room had received an emergency call from Mr Stirling.

At the inquest into the couple's death, being held in Powys, Detective Constable Gareth Owen said Mr Stirling had called in a "calm and rational" voice stating there was a "slight problem" and two coffins and an undertaker would be needed.

The court heard that, two days after their bodies were found, two of the couple's six children received cassette tapes recorded by Mr Stirling describing "matrimonial difficulties".

Det Con Owen said: "Within the text of that message it would be said that Mr Stirling harboured a certain amount of mistrust. It would appear that he had made a conscious decision to carry out the act that he did."

The officer told the court it was clear from the forensic and ballistic evidence and from the tapes that Mr Stirling had shot his wife before shooting himself. He said there was no suspicion of any third party involvement in their deaths.

Coroner John Hollis described the incidents as "horrendous".

He said: "The tape indicates the fact that the marriage of Mr and Mrs Stirling was not a happy marriage and that situation continued up to the deaths of both of these elderly people and indeed, in my view, was the pre-empting factor in their deaths."

The cause of death for both Mr and Mrs Stirling was given by the pathologist as gunshot wounds to the head.

Mr Hollis recorded a verdict of unlawful killing on Mrs Stirling and suicide on Mr Stirling.

The court heard that the couple married in 1948 and had six children who all live in the United Kingdom.