Tributes to paid to Craig Hodson-Walker

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TRIBUTES were last night paid to the son of a sub-postmaster shot dead by armed robbers.

Craig Hodson-Walker, originally from Barry, was gunned down when masked raiders attacked Fairfield Post Office and Stores near Bromsgrove, Worcestershire. Craig, 29, left the Vale of Glamorgan with his parents Ken and Judy while he was still a child.

He was killed yesterday morning when he was shot in the chest as a masked gang, armed with a handgun and sledgehammer, burst into the shop at 8.20am.

Craig’s father Ken was shot in the leg.

Witnesses told police officers that three balaclava-clad men raced away from the village in a silver Volkswagen Golf moments later.

Speaking outside Craig’s grandmother Florence Selby’s home in Barry yesterday, cousin Rachel Slade, 34, said: “I’m horrified, I just can’t believe it has happened to our family.

“Craig was such a nice guy. He had a girlfriend but wasn’t married yet and they didn’t have kids.

“It is a tragic waste of a young life.

“I was at work when my husband rang me to say something awful had happened and I needed to come home.

“He told me Craig had been shot dead and my uncle Ken was in hospital after being shot in the leg, but that he will survive,” she said.

“We are just so shocked and can’t believe this could have happened to someone just getting on with his job.

“I can’t believe it because Craig was so young. It is just not fair.

“We are still waiting to hear if the police can catch the people who did this.

“We have a large family here in Wales and we are all devastated. We are just thinking of Judy and Ken and what we can do to help.”

Mr Hodson-Walker is also understood to have had family links in New Tredegar, in the Rhymney Valley, but these were unconfirmed last night.

In Fairfield, residents told police a car was seen loitering near the store – opposite a primary school – shortly before the fatal robbery.

Police officers yesterday launched a manhunt for the armed robbers involving specialist search teams and dog handlers.

The entire village and some surrounding streets were cordoned off as the teams searched for evidence.

A police helicopter hovered above the store and teams of police officers wearing fluorescent jackets surrounded the building.

Villager Eddie Bretherton, 76, said Mrs Hodson-Walker ran to a neighbouring house after the shooting.

Retired engineer Mr Bretherton, who lives a few doors away, said: “They are very nice people. We exchanged pleasantries in the ordinary way.

“We saw them in the pub when they were there for a meal.

“One of the reasons we moved here was the post office. We go in regularly.”

And Doreen Davis said she was shocked that someone could have been shot in such a “sleepy place”.

“They’re really nice people. It’s a big shock. It’s a shock that it has happened in Fairfield,” she said.

Carol Carew, 45, who lives about half a mile from the post office, said: “It is horrendous, absolutely awful.

“I use the shop a lot because it is just a 15-minute walk from here so I know the family to say hello to. They are a really nice family.”

It emerged last night that the Hodson-Walker’s business was so successful the family won an award before Christmas for being one of the three best performing post offices in the West Midlands.

Police discovered the VW Golf getaway car a short distance from the post office, which is close to the M5 and M42 motorways.

Detective Superintendent Jon Groves, from West Mercia Police, said the vehicle was fitted with false plates and had been stolen from Solihull, in the West Midlands, on New Year’s Eve.

He said the car would have been caught up in rush-hour traffic.

He said: “We are appealing for anyone who may have seen this vehicle in the traffic yesterday morning to get in touch with us as a matter of urgency.

“They may potentially have seen the occupants before they put on their balaclavas and have information vital to our inquiry.”

He added: “I would also stress that the offenders are clearly dangerous and must not be approached.

“I am leading this investigation and a team of detectives and staff in excess of 100 are working on this case.

“I can assure you that we are determined to bring these offenders to justice as soon as possible.

“Any information people may have, no matter how insignificant it may seem, could provide a vital lead. Please get in touch with us.”

A Post Office spokesman last night paid tribute to the Hodson-Walker family, saying: “We are shocked and appalled at this terrible attack against hard-working people serving the whole community.

“We are very concerned for the family and will be doing all we can to help them.”

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Four men are believed to have been behind the fatal shooting of a village sub-postmaster's son, police said.

Craig Hodson-Walker, 29, was shot in the chest and his father, Ken, was shot in the leg during the raid at the store in Fairfield, Worcestershire.

Police believe three men went into Fairfield General Stores on Stourbridge Road with a handgun and sledgehammer while the fourth drove the getaway car.

The family had fought off burglars more than a year ago, a villager said.

Witnesses sought

Ken Hodson-Walker was in a stable condition in hospital following surgery on Friday.

A post-mortem examination on the body of Craig Hodson-Walker was due to take place on Sunday.

Three men went into the store with their faces covered and a fourth stayed with a silver Volkswagen Golf outside, it is thought.

One was about 6ft tall, white with a dark hooded top and tracksuit bottoms. The other two were shorter and also wearing dark clothing.

They all had balaclavas or scarves covering their faces. The driver was a white man with a hooded top and a scarf which was pulled up over his face.

The West Mercia force, which has launched a murder investigation, said about 100 detectives and other staff have been working on the case.

'Absolutely devastated'

Horace Lynton, 55, who runs The Swan pub with his wife Francine, said the family's business was targeted more than a year ago as they were upstairs in their home.

He said Mr Hodson-Walker and his father confronted the robbers, who had broken in through the shop door.

Mr Lynton said: "The alarm went off and they came down to investigate and the father and son tackled whoever had broken in and they ran away."

Mrs Lynton, 53, added: "They work their socks off and I think when you work as hard as that you do not want to give it all away to robbers."

Police had on Saturday morning extended the cordon around the village as officers carried out their investigations.

Officers want to speak to anyone who saw anything suspicious in the area around the time of the raid at 0820 GMT on Friday.

A silver Volkswagen Golf was later found abandoned nearby. It had false registration plates W337 DDN and was stolen in Solihull on 31 December, police said. The correct registration plate for the car was GP53 FJJ.

'Heartbreaking act'

The post office had been targeted by raiders five years ago.

Carol Edwards, who lives near the shop and knows the family, said: "They're very helpful, cheerful, happy, nice people and they tend to put themselves out, particularly for the older people - very patient and helpful.

"They must be absolutely devastated by what's happened."

A Post Office spokesman said: "We are shocked and appalled at this terrible attack against hard-working people serving the whole community and we are very concerned for the family and will be doing all we can to help them."

George Thompson, general secretary for the National Federation of SubPostmasters, said it was a "heartbreaking act" and "absolutely outrageous".

He said: "People have destroyed the family with this despicable act and this is a hard-working family that just tried to get on, provide the good service for the local communty."

Roger Hollingworth, from Bromsgrove District Council, said Fairfield was "such a quiet village" and it had "devastated the people there".