Murdered Post Office owners father was confronted by armed raiders

Adam Fresco, Crime Correspondent , : {}

An armed raider confronted the husband of a post office owner and told him, Weve got your wife, before demanding cash, police said.

Diana Garbutt, 40, was found dead in the upstairs living quarters of the village store in Melsonby, near Richmond, North Yorkshire, by her husband, Robin.

Detectives said that Mrs Garbutt died from severe head injuries but would not say how she received them. She had not been shot.

Detective Superintendent Lewis Raw, from North Yorkshire Police, said Mr Garbutt had been working downstairs in the shop when he was confronted by the raider just after he opened the post office part of the business at 8.30am on Tuesday. The robber escaped with a substantial amount of money in a holdall.

Related LinksPost office owner dies after violent robbery

He said that Mr Garbutt, 44, had called paramedics after finding his wife upstairs. It is believed that the masked intruder broke into the living quarters of the post office before making his way to the shop.

Mr Raw said: The man threatened Mr Garbutt, saying Weve got your wife. The male then made off with a significant amount of money, which he had placed in a black holdall.

Mr Raw added: This is a shocking crime which has left Mr Garbutt distraught and the residents of Melsonby very shocked and saddened.

Police are determined to bring Mrs Garbutts killer to justice. However, we need the assistance of members of the public who were in the area at the time to come forward.

He added: This would have been a fairly busy time in the village, with people travelling to work or school.

We are appealing for anyone who may have seen a suspicious or unknown vehicle in the village or saw one leave the village at that time, or if you saw a man dressed in dark clothing and wearing a mask, to come forward.

He also asked people to look out for any discarded balaclavas.

Early yesterday long traffic queues formed on the roads in and out of the village as police stopped drivers to ask if they had seen anything. Anyone walking past the post office was also stopped and spoken to.

About 30 bouquets had been laid at the scene by yesterday morning and, as parents taking their children to school walked past, more tributes were handed to officers.

The suspect was described as 5ft 11in to 6ft tall, wearing a black, tight-fitting mask, a dark blue, long-sleeved T-shirt and dark blue-black jeans.

People living and working near the post office said that they did not notice anything unusual until an ambulance and armed police arrived.

Mrs Garbutts business The Village Shop and Post Office is at the heart of the village, a few miles north of Richmond.

The murder comes almost exactly a year since armed robbers targeted the post office. On that occasion police said that two men, one armed with what appeared to be a handgun, threatened staff and made off with stamps and a large amount of cash.

Villagers said that Mrs Garbutt and her husband, who ran the store with her, had put the business up for sale but, it appears, they had recently decided to stay.

Linda Sharp, who works part-time in the shop and lives in a nearby cottage, said of them: A lovely couple, just very devoted. I feel very sorry for Robin, I dont know how hell go on without her.

Ms Sharp said she thought Mr and Mrs Garbutt had been married for about five or six years.

She added. I never heard a thing. I opened my curtains around 8.15am and saw the kids waiting for the bus, went to make my bed and then saw the ambulance.