Davies admitted himself to a psychiatric unit after threatening Ms Evans

Just months later farmer Will Davies returned and carried out the threat, shooting pregnant landlady Caroline Evans before turning the gun on himself.

Davies was to have been charged with making threats to kill, but that was dropped and he pleaded guilty to lesser charges.

On the second day of the inquest into the deaths at the Red Lion pub in Llangadog last February evidence has been given as to why that action was taken.

Davies had originally been due to appear before magistrates for making threats to kill the pregnant landlady in November 2002.

But the day before the trial was to go ahead the charge against Davies, who had voluntarily admitted himself to a psychiatric unit after his arrest, was dropped and replaced with lesser offences.

"I made a mess of things because of this girl. Sorry to her father, Wil Note left by farmer William Davies

Crown Prosecution Service solicitor David Lindsay said he decided on the move after reviewing the evidence.

"I could not prove beyond reasonable doubt that Mr Davies intended to carry out the threat," Mr Lindsay told the inquest.

Instead the case against Davies went ahead with lesser charges - assault, threatening behaviour and not holding a certificate for a shotgun.

Davies pleaded guilty to all three, and the charge of making threats to kill was formally withdrawn against him

But four months after the original threat the farmer burst into the pub and shot Ms Evans, who was six months pregnant, before turning the gun on himself.

Their bodies were found next to each other in the pub's kitchen.

Caroline Evans was six months pregnant when she died

The first day of the inquest on Monday had heard evidence from Caroline Evans' father, retired vet David Evans, that he believed more should have been done to prevent his daughter's death.

He said if any of the agencies dealing with Davies had issued "more appropriate recommendations then the tragic outcome would not have ensued".

Mr Evans, who called for an inquiry after the deaths, said the more serious charge of threatening to kill should have been pursued

The inquest had also heard on Monday from farmer Nigel Bruce that Mr Davies had stopped taking his psychiatric medication in the days leading up to the shootings.

Evidence was also given on Tuesday that DNA tests carried out on the child that Ms Evans was carrying proved that Davies was not the father.

Apologised

A community nurse also told the inquest jury on Tuesday that he had twice had to call out police because of Mr Davies' behaviour in the two weeks leading up to last February's shootings.

On the second occasion, the nurse Robert Stanley, said Mr Davies was in his own farmhouse when he became angry. He had thrown a cup, a biscuit barrel and had broken a chair.

The inquest jury was told Mr Davies had left two notes. One apologised to the farmer whose shotgun he had taken, while the second was found in his car,.

It read: "I made a mess of things because of this girl. Sorry to her father, Wil ".

The inquest in Carmarthen was adjourned until Wednesday.