The family of gunman barrister Mark Saunders yesterday watched harrowing footage that showed the moment he died in a volley of police bullets.

Mr Saunders’ sister Charlotte wept as a dramatic two-and-a-half hour film was shown to the jury at the inquest into the 32-year-old’s death.

His widow, Elizabeth, walked out of Westminster Coroner’s Court as footage shot by a police helicopter and an audio recording of negotiations was played.

The material was a grim countdown to the death of Mr Saunders at the hands of marksmen surrounding his home in Markham Square, Chelsea, on May 6, 2008.

It showed the drunken legal high-flyer waving a shotgun from the smashed kitchen window of his £2.2 million home before fatefully pointing it towards armed officers.

The inquest heard how:

• Police negotiators repeatedly told Mr Saunders he was “not going to die today” as they pleaded with him to put the gun down.

• The barrister was thought to be most likely to kill himself, either deliberately or by accident, because of his intoxicated state.

• Mr Saunders told a policeman he needed to “blow off steam” before blasting his 12-bore shotgun through a sash window.

• Officers struggled to maintain contact by mobile phone as a police phone malfunctioned and a landline appeared disconnected.