Killed with a shovel in front of his parents
Travellers’ feud is blamed for murder at M25 services
A MAN was bludgeoned to death with a shovel in front of his parents during a fight on the busy forecourt of a motorway service station.
The attack was seen by dozens of drivers at Cobham Services on the M25 in Surrey.
Detectives launched a murder inquiry after doctors switched off life support for Quhey Saunders, 20, who was said to be from a traveller family.
As part of their manhunt, Surrey and Essex police are investigating whether the attack just after 3pm on Monday was the result of a long-running feud between the Saunders family and another traveller group.
One relative had a shotgun fired at his home and another’s ear was severed in the feud.
A man thought to be Mr Saunders’ brother Paul, 30, was jailed for eight years last year after attacking another traveller family with a machete.
Police were called to the petrol station between junctions 9 and 10 just after 3pm on Monday. They found Mr Saunders – whose birth name was Hughie – on the floor inside.
Two male attackers were seen driving away from the service station in a white Peugeot Partner van, which was later found abandoned seven miles away in Chessington. Truck driver Rafael Francis, 53, tried to help Mr Saunders after he was attacked.
The retired soldier said the victim was hit twice over the head with a shovel by one man as he tried to fend off blows from another attacker.
‘I don’t know what started it, but there were lots of vicious punches and kicks being thrown. They were shouting about getting a gun,’ he said.
‘I knew it was serious. His father was helping me stem the blood as I screamed for an ambulance. His mother kept asking if I thought the boy was going to make it.
‘I couldn’t look her in the eye. There was just too much blood.
‘Until the police came, no one else tried to help. Everyone was filming it on their phones, as I’m begging for a first aid kit.’
Mr Saunders died on Wednesday at St George’s Hospital, Tooting, south London, two days after the attack. Three years ago he was living at a travellers’ site in North Stifford, Essex. But his family later moved to a luxury gated home near Stanford-le-Hope, Essex.
Neighbours said there was a fleet of expensive cars on the driveway – including a Ferrari, a BMW and a Mercedes. However, they said the family appeared to have moved on again.
Yesterday, friends and family paid tribute to Mr Saunders.
His girlfriend Larosa Smith wrote on Facebook: ‘He was my best friend, my full life. I’m so lost without him.’
Last night, a social media post asked if the Saunders were going to let the ‘shades’ – traveller slang for police – investigate or whether they would ‘seek vengeance’ themselves.
Detective Chief Inspector Jo Hayes of Surrey Police, said: ‘This was a horrifying attack at a busy petrol station on the M25. There are reports of people filming on phones during the altercation and after, and it is imperative we get hold of their footage. There were vehicles on the forecourt and I want to view any dashcam footage.’