Body of TA soldier found after wife is murdered

Detectives had earlier named Andrew Hudson, 43, as the prime suspect after discovering the body of wife, Victoria, at her new home.

The alarm was raised by relatives when Mrs Hudson, 39, failed to collect children, James, six, and Rebecca, 11, from school yesterday afternoon.

Neighbours told how Mr Hudson had returned from a four-week annual deployment with the Territorial Army a month ago to find his wife had moved out, taking the children. Relatives had hammered on the front door of her new home and shouted through the letter-box before police broke down the door.

Detectives were today awaiting the results of a post-mortem examination on Mrs Hudson's body.

Her end-of-terrace home in Buttercup Place, Thatcham, Berkshire, was being examined by forensic scientists. Police also sealed off the family home half a mile away in Beech Walk, where Mr Hudson had been living alone.

It was believed the TA officer killed himself. He was found in his car at Catmore, near Newbury, this morning.

Detective Chief Inspector Mick Saunders had earlier said that he was "very concerned" for Mr Hudson's welfare and appealed for help from the public in tracing him.

Neighbours told how Mr Hudson had been a keen member of the TA and had looked forward to his annual deployment-One, who asked not to be named, said: "He returned home from the latest trip four weeks ago and was devastated to discover his wife and the children had moved out.

"He had looked after the children last weekend and seemed to be coping remarkably well with the marriage split."

The neighbour said that it was believed Mrs Hudson's widowed mother, who also lives in Thatcham, was looking after the children. Another relative went to the house in Beech Walk today to collect clothes for James and Rebecca.

One resident in Buttercup Place said: "It is a smart house and she seemed to be a very caring mother, always walking the children to school in the morning and collecting them.

"I have seen a man, who I took to be the children's father, going in and out of the house occasionally and a week last Sunday there was the most almighty row with shouting and screaming."

A family friend said that Mr Hudson drove petrol tankers for Butlers Fuels. Mrs Hudson had worked at a children's nursery in Thatcham.

"Victoria was a lovely mum. She has sisters in New Zealand and the US as well as family here in Thatcham, she said.

"Last night one of her sisters came around and said she had been told that Victoria had been hurt and that the police were at her house.

"My husband drove her around to Buttercup Place and found all the police commotion going on," she said.