Caravan owner is held after burglary suspect shot dead
AN ECCENTRIC pensioner was being questioned by detectives on suspicion of murder last night after a suspected burglar was shot dead.
Reuben Gregory, 72, was arrested by armed officers called to reports of a shooting near his isolated Berkshire home.
The recluse is suspected of disturbing two men he believed were attempting to break in to his caravan home in woodland near Slough and Heathrow Airport.
One suffered fatal injuries and the second is thought to have escaped with minor injuries after a confrontation at 3am yesterday. Nearby residents said Gregory and his sister Kathleen, 60, dialled 999 and waited for police to arrive. Miss Gregory was also arrested.
They named the victim as Wayne Digby, 48, a father of two from Slough. One of his sons paid tribute to him online last night, writing: ‘RIP Dad.’ Neighbours said the Gregory siblings had lived ‘off grid’ for more than half a century, making do without electricity and getting water from businesses.
They said that the vulnerable pair, with Miss Gregory said to have mental health issues, had been targeted before by burglars and kept a gun.
A friend said: ‘They’re an eccentric pair who have lived here for more than 50 years. They’re lovely people...and wouldn’t harm a fly.’
Last night, officers from Thames Valley Police, including marksmen, continued to guard the scene which is close to a busy layby off the A4 Colnbrook bypass.
Det Chief Supt Chris Ward said that the shooting was an ‘isolated incident’ and urged anyone who had witnessed any unusual activity to get in touch.