Nationwide search for murder victim's car

Raymond Marshall was shot dead in his own home

Police hunting the killers of man shot in an isolated farmhouse have launched a countrywide search for a stolen BMW car.

The lilac saloon is thought to have been taken immediately after the murder of Raymond Marshall from outside the Staffordshire farmhouse where his body was found.

Detectives have revealed that the distinctive car was offered for sale in Dorset two days after the 45-year-old was last seen alive.

The body of the father-of-three was not found until five days after the attempted sale, when his wife returned to the farmstead, near Uttoxeter, following a week's holiday.

Car sale

Police believe Mr Marshall's body may have lain undisturbed for a week.

The M-registered BMW was offered for sale at a garage in Poole on Tuesday 21 August.

Mr Marshall was last seen alive by friends who visited Mount Pleasant Farm in Grindley at 2100 BST on Sunday 19 August.

His body was discovered by his wife Patsy on Sunday 25 August.

He had died from gunshot wounds to his head.

The BMW, registration M3 LAS, belonged to a friend of Mr Marshall and was last seen parked outside the farmhouse on the Sunday evening.

The four-door BMW is a distinctive colour

Detective Chief Inspector Paul Davey said the garage owner in Poole contacted the car dealership in Staffordshire, where the BMW originated, when it was offered for sale.

He said its appearance and sale in the south of England was now significant to the inquiry.

"Our inquiries to date have found the last people to see him alive left his home on Sunday evening," said Mr Davey.

"We have to ask the question: 'Was the vehicle stolen by his killer or killers?'

"We need to hear from anybody who has had any dealing with this vehicle since Sunday 19 August."

Distinctive features

The BMW is distinctive because of its lilac colour, transfer registration plates and its four doors.

Most cars of the type are coupés, he said.

The car, which Mr Marshall used in the days before his death, had a distinctive sticker in its rear window from Baskeyfield Motors, Trentham Road, Stoke-on-Trent.

Its registration plates also bore the garage name.

Mr Marshall had lived at the farmhouse for 20 years and ran a demolition business from the premises.

He had a 16-year-old son and a 12-year-old daughter from a previous relationship and a four-year-old daughter with his second wife Patsy.

Forensic experts are continuing their examination of the area around the house.