Pensioner, 83, ‘beaten to death by burglar in bungalow’
THE family of a pensioner killed in a suspected burglary yesterday described the attack as beyond their ‘wildest nightmares’.
Police launched a murder investigation after the beaten body of Donald Ralph, 83, was discovered at the rural bungalow where he had lived alone for four decades.
Choking back tears, a relative who asked not to be named said: ‘To think there are people in this world who would do something like this. I’d like ten minutes with the b****** who did it. It is beyond my wildest, wildest nightmares.
‘You hear about this sort of thing in the worse kind of drug-crazed places, but it just doesn’t happen in the countryside. He was very happy. He was just a lovely man and I loved him.’
Forensic teams in white suits were yesterday combing through Mr Ralph’s home outside the village of Aldham in Essex.
Police said his blue Volvo had been stolen in what they described as a ‘targeted incident’. The force did not confirm a gun had been taken but said it was investigating the whereabouts of other items.
Neighbours became suspicious when they noticed that a light had been left on late into the night. They raised the alarm when they discovered the former farm worker’s body at around 1pm on Tuesday.
A villager said: ‘I was told his shotgun was missing along with his car.’
Mr Ralph, who was known to friends as ‘Don’, had lived in the area for much of his adult life and was raised nearby with his four siblings.
Detective Chief Inspector Scott Egerton of Essex Police said: ‘We believe this was a targeted incident. It has been established that Mr Ralph’s car, a blue Volvo V50 registration plate HD08 YFV, is missing.’
Police are seeking dashcam footage from motorists at around 3pm on Monday.