Jake Davison, who shot five people before turning the gun on himself in Plymouth last year, had previously been referred to a counter-terrorism programme by his mother, an inquest has heard.

Davison, 22, was referred to the Prevent scheme – which aims to stop people becoming terrorists – by his mother Maxine in November 2016.

Details of the referral were not revealed at Tuesday’s pre-inquest hearing, but they will be a key area of examination when the inquest begins in January.

The apprentice crane operator fatally shot his mother, 51, after an argument in August 2021.

He went on to kill Sophie Martyn, three, her father, Lee, 43, Stephen Washington, 59, and Kate Shepherd, 66, in the Keyham area of Plymouth.

The attack lasted 12 minutes, and took place just weeks after his shotgun and licence had been given back to him by the local police force after he assaulted two teenagers in a park last year.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct is looking into how Davison was approved for a weapon in 2018 and how it was returned to him.

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As part of the investigation, two staff members from the department involved in approving the firearms licence have been given gross misconduct notices, and an officer has been served with a misconduct notice.

Referring to the Prevent scheme, Ian Arrow, the senior coroner for Plymouth and South Devon, said: “To deal with the matters of November 2016 being the disclosure re the Prevent scheme made by Mrs Davison.”

Mr Arrow added that those involved in the scheme could be invited to be “interested persons”, and they could be legally represented and be able to ask witnesses’ questions.

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He told Plymouth coroner’s court that the inquest next year would also look at how Davison’s application for a shotgun was processed by the police, his referral to the pathfinder scheme and how allegations of assault made against him were dealt with.

It will also consider the seizure and subsequent return of his shotgun and licence weeks before the killings.

The shooter’s contact with mental health services in May 2021 would also be examined.

It is thought Davison had an obsession with incel (involuntary celibate) culture, as well as an interest in guns and the US, and reports suggested that his mother had been struggling to get help for him and his mental health.

Jason Beer QC, representing Devon and Cornwall Police, said the police force was still looking into the events of last summer, including Davison’s use of chatrooms on Reddit – which the force is in contact with.

“A review of Jake Davison’s computer tower and mobile telephone showed he was an active member of Reddit forums,” Mr Beer said.

“Some of these were incel related. Some of the forums were pro-incel and some were anti-incel.”

The inquest heard that a peer review into the police force’s firearms licencing procedures was undertaken, with a number of recommendations made, including for a “more robust system”.

Psychological reports into spree killers, incel-motivated killers and “similarities or differences to Jake Davison and the prevalence or not of steroid abuse in the commission of violent crimes”, have been commissioned by the police, Mr Beer said.

Another pre-inquest review will take place on 19 December.

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