BRISTOL AND SOMERSET HERALD

Friday, 16 March 2012

FAMILY DEVASTED BY SEASIDE SHOOTINGS

by Jessica Fox

The family of a mother and son who were shot dead in the sleepy seaside town of Tilby are shocked and saddened by their ‘senseless’ deaths.

Deirdre and Clive Wilson were killed in their own home just a week ago today.

Lisa Wilson, 29, Deirdre’s granddaughter, described her grandmother as a fun-loving, bubbly lady, who was fit and active and loved to ballroom dance.

Deirdre, who had been a widow for over twenty years, had only moved to the cottage where she died a month previously.

‘My gran loved the sea so decided to save up so that she could buy the cottage. She was so happy to finally put down roots in Tilby,’ Lisa said. ‘Gran had admired the area for a long time and, in the short time she was there, she threw herself into the local community, joining the Women’s Institute and volunteering at the church café. My uncle Clive had his own place in Bristol, but they were close so he often stayed with her. I don’t think Gran liked living alone. They were just two normal, kind people. Gran loved dogs. She used to breed those beautiful Chow Chows that look like teddy bears. It’s tragic to think all her planning and saving came to nothing. She only got to live in that house for a month. Why would someone want to kill an old lady who never hurt a fly?’

Police are waiting to question local woman Heather Underwood, 32, in connection with their deaths. She is currently in a coma in hospital after trying to take her own life.

Lisa’s father, Norman, 56, added, ‘My brother Clive was a gentle soul. He lived a quiet life with my mum. He’d had a few financial difficulties over the years, a few businesses that went bust. I regret to say I didn’t see them that much over the years after me and my family moved to Reading, although we kept in touch by phone. But I can’t understand why somebody would want to shoot him or my mother. I’ve never heard of this Heather Underwood. And, as far as I’m aware, my mum and brother had never met her. For her to break into their home and shoot them … well, it beggars belief. The family want answers.’

Lisa and Norman Wilson aren’t the only ones who seem baffled by this senseless killing. The police are also perplexed and can find no motive …