Mother in plea for help to catch killer

Agnes Gaylor fears the man who left Mrs Garbutt, 40, dying of head injuries in the upstairs living quarters of the post office in Melsonby, north of Richmond, on Tuesday morning could claim another victim.

Mrs Garbutt's husband, Robin, 44, has told detectives how he discovered his wife's body after an armed raider confronted him in the store and made off with a substantial amount of money.

Yesterday Mrs Gaylor, 60, said: "She didn't deserve to be taken like this. Nobody does. But she – of all people – did not deserve to be taken this way.

"The person who has taken my Diana's life has also destroyed my life, her husband Robin's life and the lives of so many other people who adored Diana."

Mrs Gaylor was supported by her partner Michael Hodgson as she made the appeal at a hotel in York.

It included a painful reminder of the brutality of the crime. "Someone you know may have Diana's blood on their clothes," she said.

There have been over 90 calls to the incident room so far, and Det Supt Lewis Raw said: "We are extremely pleased with the response to our appeals but still seek further information from the public.

"We still need to trace all customers who used Melsonby Post Office between 4am and 9am on Tuesday and ask anyone who was in the shop or post office to contact us as soon as possible.

"We would like to trace the owner or driver of a white Transit or box van which was seen parked near the post office during 4am and 9am on 23 March.

"The vehicle was seen by a number of people and we would like to eliminate it from the enquiry. If you believe you are the driver or owner of that van, please get in touch.

"We also wish to trace the driver of any vehicles who may have passed through the village between these times and urge them to contact us even if they believe they have no information to offer."

Anyone with any information should call police on 01904 669576 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.