Murdered grandfather named

Mr Cox was a gentle and well-liked father-of-two

Police have named the murdered pensioner whose body was discovered after a house fire in Reading, Berkshire.

The body of 69-year-old grandfather Deryk Cox was found in the living room of his home in Lowfield Road, Caversham, following the fire on Sunday night.

Police say Mr Cox, who had two children, had lived in the road for almost 30 years and was well-liked and popular with his friends and neighbours.

His family, who have been left devastated by his murder, said in a statement released on Friday: "It's so hard to find the words to describe our dad.

"He was such a huge part of our lives. All who knew him will remember him for his wicked sense of humour, his generosity and his energy for life.

"He thrived on people's company, everyone and anyone. Relationships and friendships were his most precious possession.

Deryk Cox's family

"His death under these circumstances is extremely distressing.

"His immediate family and closest friends are having great difficulty in coming to terms with this."

A post-mortem examination held this week revealed that Mr Cox had suffered head injuries which were not consistent with injuries which would have been sustained in a fire.

Detectives from Thames Valley Police's major crime unit are continuing their investigation.

"Horrific murder"

Together with uniformed officers, they are carrying out house-to-house inquiries in the area.

And police search teams are conducting a fingertip search of the scene of the fire itself to find evidence.

Detective Chief Inspector Andy Taylor, who is leading the investigation, said: "We are keeping an open mind in terms of this investigation.

"Teams of officers are working constantly in a bid to piece together exactly what happened on that tragic night, and to trace those responsible for the horrific murder of Deryk Cox.

"Our inquiries have shown he was a gentle, well-liked and friendly man and we want people with information which may lead to the capture of his killer or killers to come forward."