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Vodafone boss knifed to death in £1m home
Danny Brierley, Evening Standard19 Aug 2008
An executive at mobile phone giant Vodafone has been stabbed to death in her country home.
Sally Sinclair, 40, was killed in the £1million house where she lived with her husband and two young sons.
A 47-year-old man was today being questioned by police in connection with the death of Mrs Sinclair, who was Vodafone's head of business analysis.
Her body was found in a pool of blood inside the five-bedroom detached home near the village of Amport, Hampshire, by police at 10pm on Saturday.
A post-mortem examination showed she died from injuries to her upper body. Detectives are following a number of lines of enquiry after forensic science experts combed the house.
Eight cars stood in the drive of the secluded property including a highpowered Subaru Impreza, £35,000 Mitsubishi-Evo and a silver van. Shocked neighbours said Mrs Sinclair and her husband were very private but believed they rented the house and had two twin boys aged 10.
One resident, who did not want to be named, said: "I rarely saw the couple and much of the time the house looked deserted but there are always a lot of cars outside. I believe they had twin boys aged about 10.
"My understanding was that she worked for Vodafone and he may have stayed at home to look after the boys. It's a terrible shock to hear what has happened." Web designer John-James Lloyd, 28, who lives down the road from the house, said: "I saw an ambulance rush past on Saturday night at about 10pm. I have never actually seen anyone at the house despite all the cars.
"It's as if the people who live there are very private or always on holiday because the curtains always seem to be drawn." Farmer Harry Wells added: "We came back home just after midnight on Sunday morning and there was a lot of police activity.
"The family had only been living there about nine months. We drive past the house every day but I rarely saw any sign of life at all."
Matthew Brearley, human resources director at Vodafone UK, said: "Sally worked for Vodafone from 1994. She will be deeply missed by her colleagues here at Vodafone. Our sympathy goes out to Sally's family and friends."
Hampshire Police spokesman Alan Smith said: "Detectives investigating the death of a woman in Amport near Andover on Saturday continue to question a 47-year-old man who has been assisting with enquiries."
"A post-mortem examination has revealed that the woman, 40-year-old Sally Sinclair, died as a result of injuries to her upper body."
