Concerns have been raised over whether a suspect shot dead by police was pointing a shotgun at them.

William "Curly Bill" Smith received four gunshot wounds to the head and chest when he was cornered by armed officers in Goudhurst in May 2016, having been linked to the murder of 73-year-old Roy Blackman months earlier.

A pre-inquest review (PIR) was initially held in 2017 to deal with legal matters and the disclosure of evidence ahead of a full investigation into his death, which was due to take place with a jury in mid-2018.

Now, nearly two years on, a second PIR has been carried out at the Archbishop's Palace in Maidstone, where Kent Police's legal team made requests for officers involved in the case, some of whom have since retired, to remain anonymous.

Lesley Thomas, counsel for Mr Smith's family, urged coroner Roger Hatch to keep the hearing as informed as possible.

He went on to cast doubt on the findings of Independent Office for Police Conduct's, which states Mr Smith was shot dead while aiming a shotgun at armed officers.

He said: "There was very little forensic evidence to suggest that he was pointing a gun at the officers, except for their account.

"Unlike the majority of the country at the time, the officers involved were not wearing body worn cameras at the time of the incident."

Mr Thomas asked for extra forensic and ballistic evidence to be presented at the full inquest, which is still more than a year away.

Smith, 36, was on the run after being linked to the killing of Roy Blackman, from Biddenden, during a violent burglary in March 2016.

The police watchdog's investigation into his death found he was aiming a shotgun at two officers moments before his death.

Two guns taken from another burglary were recovered from the Smiths Lane orchard where “Curly Bill”, of Golford, near Sissinghurst, was hiding.

In September 2016, 38-year-old Mark Love, of Frittenden Road, Staplehurst, received a life sentence for murder.

The court heard Roy Blackman was bludgeoned to death at his home in Headcorn Road and his safe, which contained £250,000, was also taken.

Smith’s DNA was found at the scene, implicating him heavily in events. The prosecution said if alive he would also have been put on trial.

Following Love’s conviction, Smith’s father, Tracey, spoke of his anger that his son had repeatedly been implicated in the crime.

An inquest is not expected to take place until November 2020 and could last up to six weeks.

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