The ‘horrendous’ murder of an 86-year-old woman near Bolsover may have been a burglary, police have said as they stepped up the hunt for her killer.

Derbyshire Police say no arrests have yet been made in the incident, which also saw Freda Walker’s husband Ken ‘left for dead’.

Mr Walker, an 88-year-old Shirebrook town councillor, was found with life-threatening injuries after paramedics were called to the couple’s home in Station Road, Langwith Junction, early on Saturday.

He is currently in a critical condition in hospital, police said at the scene on Monday.

Assistant Chief Constable Dave Kirby explained: ‘At 9.30am on Saturday, January 15 police were called by paramedics to this address on Station Road at Langwith Junction, reporting that two people had been seriously injured, one man and one woman.

‘Eighty-six-year-old Freda Walker was pronounced dead at the scene and 88-year-old Kenneth Walker was found to be seriously injured, and he’s currently in hospital in a critical condition.

‘Freda was killed, and Ken was left for dead, and we will be asking for your help in identifying who was responsible.

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‘The family of Ken and Freda have been informed and they are being supported by specially trained officers, but I would ask that their privacy be respected at this time.’

Mr Kirby added: ‘At this time, we haven’t made any arrests, however we can say we are not treating this as a domestic incident.

‘There are several lines of inquiry being followed and one of those is that this may have been a burglary but of course, we are keeping an open mind.’

Tributes have been pouring in for the pair, who were hailed as a ‘lovely couple’, and seen as popular members of the local community.

The leader of Bolsover District Council, Steve Fritchley, described the incident as ‘shocking and upsetting’.

Mr Fritchley, who represents the Langwith ward, said: ‘It is terrible when something like this happens, but it really hits home when it happens on your doorstep and to someone you know.

‘It’s very upsetting and I was quite angry over the weekend.

‘Ken and Freda were in their own home, a place where everyone deserves to be and feel safe, only to be attacked and ultimately bringing Freda’s life to a premature end.’

He continued: ‘We have heard many people say “oh Ken and Freda, what a lovely couple” and they really were.

‘This has sent shockwaves through the local community.’

Mr Fritchley added: ‘I worked alongside Ken for many years on both the district and town council.

‘Ken’s dedication and service to the public was an example to all.

‘He always wanted to help people, do his best for the local community and he admirably represented the authority as chair for 10 years, promoting the council and district to whoever he could.’

Turning to Mrs Walker, whose age was previously reported as 88, he went on: ‘Freda was lovely. Always wanting to help people, always had the time of day to say “hello” and speak to them as they walked past.

‘She will be sorely missed by her family, friends and the local community.

‘Ken retired from being a district councillor in 2019 and just when they should both be enjoying their twilight years together, this terrible incident has happened, and our thoughts are with Ken and his family.’

Police officers are set to remain on the scene ‘for some time’.

‘Understandably, this is a horrendous incident for the local community and our thoughts are with everybody who is affected, but particularly with the friends and family of Ken and Freda’, Derbyshire Police’s Mr Kirby added.

‘I would like to reassure the community that every necessary resource from the force and from the regional East Midlands Special Operations Unit are working together 24 hours a day to find out who is responsible and to establish the full facts of what happened.’

He suggested that no formal link had been made between the incident and other offences in the area.

Concluding his statement, the officer said: ‘The person responsible for this crime has not yet been apprehended, that said, we don’t believe that there’s currently any ongoing threat in this local area specifically.’

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