Party ends in murder

Forensic experts comb through the litter. Right, organiser Braintear Spookie property is advertised on housing websites as being available to hire at £5,000 a month.

The son of the owner – who regularly rents it out to party organisers – said he was “shocked” to learn of the horror.

Matthew Ralph said his bed-bound father Grahame was unable to talk due to bad health, but told how friends had been sending him links to news stories about the shooting incident.

Mr Ralph added that his father’s personal assistant had arranged the tenancy and that it was a long-term let. He said: “When we heard, we just thought, ‘Oh my God.’ I couldn’t believe it.”

A spokesman for Surrey Police said: “We have launched a murder investigation after the body of a man in his 30s was discovered at an address in Headley.

“Officers and other emergency services were called to an address in Church Lane shortly after 2.30am following reports of a disturbance at private party.

“Police and ambulance crews quickly attended the location and found the body of the man, who was subsequently declared dead at the scene.”

The man has not yet been formally identified and a post-mortem examination to establish the cause of death will take place in due course.

Yesterday evidence of the sheer scale of the party was clear from the mountains of rubbish spread across the back lawn of the property, including half-eaten food.

A bloody knife was allegedly recovered by police.

Shock

One neighbour said: “The whole village is in shock. It is a very sleepy village and it is probably one of the safest places to live.

“There were probably more people at that party than there are in the whole of the village.”

Another neighbour, Roger Hill, said: “We have never seen it like this before. Up to half past two I was looking out of the window and it was like Piccadilly Circus.”

A reported 450 people were at the party.