'UK - Epsom college head Emma Pattinson, 45, found dead on campus along with husband George, 39, and daughter, Lettie, 7 - 6 Feb 2023

New Posts

Caroclaud said:
Sounds like from her recent podcast, that she admitted there was some very big changes in their lives for all of them, which must have made it very stressful, plus she is on public display all the time in a high pressure role which probably limited amount of time she could spend with a family compared to previously. She took on a very different role from her previous school, Maybe it wasn’t as easy to take on for all the members of the family, maybe if you don’t have the same personality or enjoy being on display in that kind of role 24/7, then it gets to you. Many men might feel emasculated by it.
Click to expand...
She's only been in the role since September. I suspect the events that led to this tragedy had been building for a long time.
 
WhoIsThatGuy said:
Possibly. And maybe, as a man, the husband did feel emasculated by it.

JMO, However, speaking as a man, feeling emasculated would not make me want to shoot my wife and little daughter dead. I fail to think of any reason, why I would shoot my wife and little daughter dead.

Equally, for all we know, it could be the other way round. We will not know until the facts are established.

In conclusion, I don't think feeling emasculated is what has caused this incident to occur.
Click to expand...
I don’t disagree with you, I am just trying to think of an explanation for such a horrific event.

Quite a massive issue for the school too. If one of the members/spouses of staff living onsite were found to have live ammunition and a gun licence on site within the vicinity of thousands of kids. Certainly not the biggest issue right now, but one of the lasting repercussions.
 
ChatteringBirds said:
I saw this in the news and found it so sad. Ms. Pattison sounds like an amazing woman. 7-year-olds are so innocent. I hope it was something like carbon monoxide, tragic as that would be, and not domestic violence.
Click to expand...
The police wouldn't have been called to the home at 1 AM, though, if it'd been a carbon monoxide leak, would they? The victims, in that case, would've likely have been all unconscious or deceased if they'd come home that evening and gone to sleep unaware of the leak.

I suppose if there were CO2 alarms installed there (which is possible, and even probable, since it is a somewhat public facility and I imagine the UK has safety regulations about boarding houses/boarding schools) I could see a fire department being dispatched out there, but the hour at which they were summoned to the residence just gives me the impression that someone on the grounds heard something concerning (or, horrifically, that one of the victims called the police prior to being killed) and that was what resulted in the police making haste to the residence on the college grounds.

Also, @Alyce, many thanks for pointing out the reference to Emma's husband's job in the DM article--I totally missed it when I skimmed through this morning!
 
ecology1 said:
I've worked and lived at a boarding school in the UK. As staff it can be one of the perks of the job but on the other hand it can mean you have more duties and supervision to do on top of the normal teaching job. At times I felt it was sort of living in a bubble and hard to get away from, with a feeling like you never really left "work" as physically you were obviously there most of the week. Some staff lived with their partners. I think some can find it all quite difficult especially if you are new to that sort of environment. That's just my thoughts in general rather than referring to any specific case.
Click to expand...
I also worked in an educational environment where the head lived on campus. It was understood that this was not just a job, it was to be the person's life. And normally, the spouse's life, too. A traditionally male head would depend on his wife to do all the social arrangements, host innumerable lunches, teas, cocktail and dinner parties. She'd be expected to get to know all the pupils, teachers, staff, parents and donors very well, attend every event, motivate and rally everyone to be happy and proud and committed to the school. Certainly a pressure cooker.

In one case in my situation, the female spouse wasn't keen on leaving their life behind and taking this on. She foot-dragged with excuses at first, but within a few months left, taking kids with her.

JMO
 
Dpdan said:
The college statement says "Emma Pattison, Head of Epsom College, her daughter Lettie, and her husband George." Which reads to me as if George was not Lettie's father.
Click to expand...
I think that's just because the college had an official relationship with her, that's why they're issuing the release. So they've worded it to be about her. Not, for example, 'Lettie and her parents George and Emma', or 'George and his daughter and wife'.

JMO
 
Cedars said:
I also worked in an educational environment where the head lived on campus. It was understood that this was not just a job, it was to be the person's life. And normally, the spouse's life, too. A traditionally male head would depend on his wife to do all the social arrangements, host innumerable lunches, teas, cocktail and dinner parties. She'd be expected to get to know all the pupils, teachers, staff, parents and donors very well, attend every event, motivate and rally everyone to be happy and proud and committed to the school. Certainly a pressure cooker.
Click to expand...
Yes agree with a lot of this. In some cases if the Headmaster's wife was particularly close to the staff, especially those that have been there a long time, she could also act as a bit of a shoulder to cry on and someone who could provide some emotional support. As you say they can play an important role in a school, and one that I don't imagine is easy at all and over time would take its toll. In schools where the roles aren't quite so traditional then the role would be rather different, or they could have their own careers not connected to the school.

I did wonder about the circumstances around her husband's new job, especially as she said it "wasn't meant to happen". JMO
 
Last edited:
I wonder what the delay is in providing the details of what happened? There are a lot of media + police at the school today, they should probably just close early for half term, I can’t think the staff or pupils are getting much done. Loads of rumours floating about regarding what happened. Sounds so horrific.
 
WhoIsThatGuy said:
Possibly. And maybe, as a man, the husband did feel emasculated by it.

JMO, However, speaking as a man, feeling emasculated would not make me want to shoot my wife and little daughter dead. I fail to think of any reason, why I would shoot my wife and little daughter dead.

Equally, for all we know, it could be the other way round. We will not know until the facts are established.

In conclusion, I don't think feeling emasculated is what has caused this incident to occur.
Click to expand...
I doubt we’ll ever know the reasons. I don’t know the details in this case or what has happened, but I did recently do a bit of research around why a husband (which it almost always is) would kill their entire family as it’s something I find impossible to conceive of. There are a few reasons but it seems often the husband/father decides to end their life and feels that it’s “kinder” to take their family with them and save them the pain and grief their death will cause. In their minds it’s an act of love, not hate. I’m not speculating on what happened here, I’ve no idea, but perpetrators of the kind of murder/suicides people are talking about aren’t always monsters, just people who didn’t get the help they needed. But it’s a desperately sad situation, whatever the reason.
 
realanastasia said:
www.telegraph.co.uk

Gunshots heard before Epsom College head Emma Pattison found dead

A member of staff called emergency services in the early hours of Sunday morning after hearing the shots, according to a source
www.telegraph.co.uk www.telegraph.co.uk

Staff phoned police after hearing gunshots at 1 AM.
Click to expand...

I don't know how they do it at schools but in Police/Military you have an armourer and every gun has to be checked back in by them and only they should have the keys to the gun cabinets. If this is a school weapon then there are some questions to be answered.
 
www.thesun.co.uk

Who was Emma Pattison's husband George?

GEORGE Pattison was the husband of Epsom college headteacher Emma Pattison. Along with their young daughter, they were found dead on school grounds on January 5, 2023. But what do we know about him…
www.thesun.co.uk www.thesun.co.uk

Weird, George had his job since 2016--so while it's possible The Sun has bad/outdated employment info (very likely, IMO!), I am now wondering what Emma meant about her spouse unexpectedly taking a new job.
 
infinit said:
I don't know how they do it at schools but in Police/Military you have an armourer and every gun has to be checked back in by them and only they should have the keys to the gun cabinets. If this is a school weapon then there are some questions to be answered.
Click to expand...
Do schools have weapons in the UK? I say this as a UK citizen and this is news to me If so.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

DNASolves

Who is Escambia County John Doe (1989)?

Members online

... and 165 more.
Total: 3,960 (members: 166, guests: 3,794)

Online statistics

Members online
166
Guests online
3,794
Total visitors
3,960
Totals may include hidden visitors.

Forum statistics

Threads
592,582
Messages
17,971,328
Members
228,829
Latest member
LitWiz
Back
Top