Tributes have been paid to a farmer and his wife who were found dead from gunshot wounds in a village in Leicestershire. Police discovered the bodies of Richard Harrison, 59, and his wife Rachel Harrison, 54, at an address in Smeeton Road, Saddington, at around 11.30am on Friday.
A post-mortem examination confirmed both died from gunshot injuries. Detectives are not looking for anyone else in connection with the deaths.
Neighbours have paid tribute to the couple who were said to have been well-known in the local area. A local resident told The Sun: “They were a lovely and decent couple and our hearts go out to their family.
“It is a terrible thing to happen, really shocking, and has upset so many of us at a time when we should all be looking forward to celebrating Christmas with loved ones.”
A member of the parish council, who asked not to be named, added that Mr and Mrs Harrison were well respected and their deaths had rocked the village.
They added that the Harrisons ran the local farm and were well respected by many. The parish council member said the whole village felt “quite devastated” by what had happened.
A “quiet” village, most people in Saddington know each other and although Mr Harrison kept to himself, he would quite often visit the local pub, according to the parish council member.
Mr Harrison is believed to have had three children from a previous marriage and two together with his wife.
Det Insp David Greenhalgh, from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit major crime team, said: “This is a deeply tragic incident. Officers are continuing to support the family during this extremely difficult time.
“We will continue to carry out inquiries to establish the full circumstances surrounding this incident. I can confirm we do not believe anyone else was involved in the incident and a file will be prepared for HM Coroner.”
