Baronet stabbed to death on country estate

Park Lane hotelier Sir Richard Sutton, 83, killed in stabbing on his estate and woman wounded

Sir Richard Sutton, 83, a baronet and Park Lane hotel owner, was stabbed to death at his country home near Gillingham, Dorset, on Wednesday evening, police said. A woman, thought to be Sir Richard’s partner, was left in a critical condition with stab wounds

‘If you wanted to conjure up a picture of a country gentleman then that was him’

‘This is not the sort of thing you expect to see happening in north Dorset’

A MULTI-MILLIONAIRE Baronet was found stabbed to death on his Dorset country estate, police have said.

Sir Richard Sutton, 83, who owned hotels in Park Lane including the Athenaeum and the Sheraton Grand, was attacked at his home in Higher Langham, near Gillingham, on Wednesday evening.

A woman, believed to be his partner Anne Schreiber, 65, suffered stab wounds during the incident and was airlifted to Southmead Hospital in Bristol, where she remained in a critical condition last night. Sir Richard, the 9th Baronet Sutton of Norwood Park, was declared dead shortly after the attack in his home, which he bought in 2014 for £1.4 million.

A 34-year-old man, who police say was known to both victims, was arrested in Hammersmith, London, on suspicion of murder after his vehicle was tracked by six different forces for more than 100 miles before being stopped by the Metropolitan Police.

The suspect, who was also from the Gillingham area, was later taken to hospital for treatment to injuries that are not believed to be life-threatening.

Sir Richard, a father of two and grandfather of five, owned thousands of acres of land, including estates in Lincolnshire, Dorset, and Aberdeenshire, as well as property and hotels in Mayfair and Soho, central London. His net worth was estimated at £301 million in May 2020, placing him 435th on the Sunday Times Rich List.

Sir Richard had two children, Caroline and David, with his first wife, Lady Fiamma Sutton, before they separated. He lived with Ms Schreiber, a mother of two daughters and a son.

In a statement, a spokesman for Sir Richard’s company said they were “deeply saddened and devastated” by his death.

“Sir Richard was a caring, generous and warm family man, who genuinely regarded those who worked for him as part of his extended family.

“Sir Richard was passionately devoted to both his company and its people, setting the highest standards for quality in the hotels, farming and property interests within the group.

“His loss will be felt by everyone within the company, those who worked with him, and his family who have lost an incredible individual. Our thoughts are with the Sutton family at this tragic time.”

Sir Richard’s local MP, Simon Hoare, paid tribute to the landowner, who he said was a “country gentleman”.

The Conservative MP for North Dorset described the incident as “deeply awful”, adding: “He was a charming man, he had a very good sense of humour, he was politically astute and genial. If you wanted to conjure up a picture of a country gentleman then that was him.

“It is a huge loss for his family in what are clearly deeply awful circumstances.”

Mr Hoare also said: “This is not the sort of thing you expect to see happening in north Dorset, nor the sort of thing we are used to seeing here.

“Based on what I have been told by the police there is cause for shock and sadness, but no cause or reason for alarm.”

Det Insp Simon Huxter from Dorset Police, who is leading the investigation, said: “Our thoughts are with the family of the man, who sadly died, and the injured woman at this extremely difficult time, and they are being supported by specially trained officers.

“We will be carrying out a full investigation to establish exactly what happened at the address in Higher Langham, and I would appeal to anyone who saw or heard anything suspicious in the area on the evening of April 7 to please contact us.

“A cordon remains in place at the address and there will continue to be a heavy police presence in the vicinity as we carry out inquiries.

“Officers can be approached by members of the public with any information or concerns.”