Grandfather found dead as fears for his wife grow
Neighbours say the family had explosive rows
A PENSIONER has been found dead in an area of woodland next to his house a week after disappearing from his home along with his wife.
The body of Peter Stuart, 75, was discovered on Friday evening only 50ft away from the isolated house he shared with his wife Sylvia.
Police are still searching for his wife. But there are growing fears that 69-year-old Mrs Stuart has come to harm.
The couple, who were keen line dancers, went missing following a family gathering on May 28 at their home in Weybread, Suffolk. Police were called last Friday after a relative reported them missing from their red-brick detached house, pointing out that their car was still parked on the drive.
Teams of officers with sniffer dogs searched the couple’s home after Mr Stu-
‘His wife was little and feeble’
art’s body was discovered in a copse yards from his home that night at 7.15pm. Yesterday detective chief superintendent Simon Parkes, of Suffolk Police, said: ‘Our concern now is for the safety of Sylvia. We are still hopeful we can find her and piece together what happened and who is responsible.’
Mr Parkes said police were investigating possible motives, but declined to reveal whether there was any sign of a breakin or a struggle at the house.
However last night neighbours revealed that they had witnessed the family having blazing rows. Mr Stuart had bought his cottage along with a three- bedroom property next door for £250,000 from retired builder Alan Hall, 82.
He renovated the cottage for himself and his wife, while his daughter Christy and her partner Steve Paxman – who ran a dog-breeding business – moved into the three-bedroom house with their girl, now aged 11.
Yesterday Mr Hall, who sold Mr Stuart the two properties, recalled: ‘I was selling the two houses as one property with two acres of land. I think the daughter wanted to come to the countryside with them so her boyfriend Steve, who then became her husband, could breed dogs. Steve was a nice bloke. I remember him well.’
Mr Paxman, who specialised in breeding Alsatian dogs, spent more than £ 30,000 installing heated kennels at the back of the house.
But last year he moved his family to Leicester, where Mrs Paxman got a job as an administrator at a secondary school.
And six months ago, the older couple’s cottage was sold for around £500,000 and Mr and Mrs Stuart moved in to the house where their 41year-old daughter had previously lived. Last night Mr Hall explained: ‘I don’t know why they moved up north.
‘It is quite possibly because they had a row...[Mr Stuart] was an arrogant bastard.’ He added: ‘What really put me off was the last time he came round before I sold the property. His wife Sylvia was little and feeble and just said something which offended him.
‘He went absolutely berserk and I thought he was going to thump her. He was shouting, “it’s nothing to do with you”
‘Lost his temper as quick as a flash’
and was effing and blinding at her. I had to jump in between them so nothing happened. It was unbelievable. He lost his temper as quick as a flash.’
Mr Hall went on to say: ‘As they left, I told her I hoped everything would work out. I told her, “I feel really sorry for you having to live with that bastard for the rest of your life.” She just shrugged.
‘She was definitely under his thumb. The last time I saw him he was swearing at her and I thought he was going to thump her. He would have knocked her to the ground.’
Mr and Mrs Stuart, who were married for 48 years, belonged to three local line dancing clubs, including one run by Karen Poll. Yesterday Mrs Poll said she last saw the couple on Thursday May 26. She said: ‘They seemed fine. They were private. They enjoyed dancing, they always came as a couple.’
Last night detectives working on the case were questioning a 61-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murder, who was due to stay in police custody overnight. But yesterday a police spokesman insisted: ‘While we have made an arrest, our investigation continues.’