Shock at holiday shooting of ‘lovely’ family

The gardener gunman, known only as VA, 46, is led away by Turkish police. Below: Catherine Anne Bury, son Alex, the holiday villa and the family home near Northallerton. Pictures: East Med Media and rossparry.co.uk/syndication

Anne Bury, 56, was killed while her son Alex, 23, and mother Celia, 87, were injured when the gardener at their villa allegedly opened fire during a pool party to celebrate her birthday.

The gardener, named locally as Velli Acar, was in custody yesterday and Turkish authorities said a “full investigation” was under way into the triple shooting on Monday in the fishing village of Dalyan.

Turkish TV footage showed detectives searching the property, where balloons and other evidence of a celebration were still visible.

Neighbours of Ms Bury yesterday paid tribute to the former midwife, who had been working for an oil company in Dubai in a health role after holding several positions in the NHS.

Her son Alex, a Newcastle University graduate, worked at a local hotel, the Cleveland Tontine, after taking a year out of university but was hoping to restart his studies in medicine.

Stephen and Jennifer Garbutt, who have lived next door to the victim and her son since they moved to the village of Swainby, Northallerton, 13 years ago, described their neighbours as “the nicest people you could ever wish to meet”.

Mr Garbutt, 72, who lives in the adjoining bungalow to the dead woman, said: “I never ever heard a bad word, or a cross word or anything like that from any of them.

The family home in Swainby, Northallerton

“How on earth they got into this situation I cannot imagine. I have never known Anne, for want of a better word, in trouble.”

He added: “We couldn’t wish for better neighbours. Alex is very clever and wants to study to be a doctor.

“He is so polite and never said a harsh word to anybody, he is always very helpful.”

His wife Jennifer, 70, said: “I cannot believe Anne or any of them would say such a thing to get a person in that state. She never offended anybody.”

The couple added that Ms Bury, who bought a villa in Turkey a few years ago and has visited with her son and her mother every year for their summer holiday, flew out to Turkey one week ago.

Swainby resident Irene  Cousans, 60, said: “It’s such  tragic news. I didn’t know them well but they were lovely  people.

“They never caused any trouble and were always very friendly.

“I think everyone in the village is in shock.

Catherine Anne Bury. Pictures: rossparry.co.uk/syndication and East Med Media

“I don’t understand how this has happened.

“Anne’s mum used to visit a lot too and she was just as lovely as her daughter and grandson.”

Ms Bury’s black 4x4 was yesterday parked outside her bungalow, which is set back from the street, tucked behind a former blacksmith’s.

The neat home is called A Prima Vista, and is close to the centre of the village which has a stream running through the middle and is tucked below the North York Moors.

Her son Alex, also known as Al, was a former student at Newcastle University and was a “very active member” of the university’s Catholic community.

Mia Fox, a chaplain at  Bede House Catholic Chaplaincy serving Newcastle and  Northumbria universities, said she had kept in touch with  him since he graduated and he was the “politest student I have ever had”.

Alex Bury. Picture: rossparry.co.uk/syndication

She said: “He was one of our Catholic Society presidents, he played in music groups.

“He was a great guy, he played football for one of our teams.

“I met his mother and his grandmother at his graduation, they were a lovely family.

“He made a lot of friends at the Chaplaincy and I would guess on his course. He is a really nice guy, he has a lot of friends who he has kept in touch with.”