Brother and sister held in murder inquiry after suspected burglar shot

Police seal off isolated woodland area near Heathrow where pair have lived for years in caravan

A MURDER investigation has been launched after a suspected burglar was shot dead following a break-in at the home of a reclusive brother and sister.

Reuben Gregory, who is in his 70s, and his sister Cathy, who is in her 50s, were arrested by Thames Valley Police after dialling 999 to report that a man had suffered gunshot wounds close to their isolated mobile home.

Relatives of the couple, who have lived together in a caravan without power or water for many years, said they had been burgled in the past and lived in fear of being attacked.

The shooting happened in woods off the busy A4 Colnbrook bypass near Slough, Berkshire, close to the perimeter of Heathrow Airport.

The incident has led to comparisons with a case in 1999 when Norfolk farmer Tony Martin was convicted of murder after shooting dead a burglar at his home. The conviction was later reduced to manslaughter and he served three years in prison.

Local people said the couple were a familiar sight as they walked every day to nearby shops to collect water.

Khaled Hady, who works at Imperial Coaches across the road from the crime scene, said: “They were quite odd. You would see them pushing a pram down the road with their water cans in.

“You would only see them going to the shop to get water or petrol. They didn’t have water or electricity in their caravan. They looked very similar.”

He said there had been a lot of burglaries in the area, with thieves targeting businesses to steal tools.

A relative of the pair said: “Reuben is more than 70 years old and he and Cathy are very inoffensive people with no police records. Years ago they were robbed, everything was taken from them, all their possessions.

“They have lived there in the caravan all their lives. Their mother lived there before she died. This life is all they’ve known.”

Detectives from the Thames Valley major crime team sealed off the scene near a lay-by and armed police were on guard.

Det Chief Supt Chris Ward, head of the force’s CID, confirmed that the incident was being treated as murder and that two people remained in custody.

A police spokesman said: “Officers were called to an address near the Colnbrook bypass at 3.23am to reports that a man had been shot. Emergency services attended the scene, including armed officers, and discovered a man in his 40s who was declared dead at the scene.

“Two people, a man in his 70s and a woman in her 50s, were arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder and are currently in police custody.”