'Secret gay life' of murdered man

Mr Workman was shot at his home in January

A retired army officer, shot dead on his doorstep, may have been murdered because of a secret gay life, police have revealed.

Lieutenant Colonel Robert Workman, 83, was shot dead at his home in Furneux Pelham, Hertfordshire, in January.

Detectives said there was a "strong suggestion" he had clandestine gay affairs, and those were being examined as a motive for his murder.

Friends of Mr Workman, nicknamed Riley, said he had been devoted to his wife.

"One of the active lines of inquiry is a strong suggestion that Riley may have been homosexual," a Hertfordshire Police spokeswoman said on Sunday night.

There is no doubt he was still a loving, devoted and caring husband to his wife Hertfordshire Police

"Obviously, that must have been extremely difficult for him throughout his military career.

"We would appeal to anyone who knew him or anything about him and his lifestyle who have not already come forward."

Detectives also confirmed they have spoken to a serving prisoner as part of the investigation, but the spokeswoman refused to confirm the two lines of inquiry were linked.

She stressed the gay revelations were only one part of the inquiry, adding: "There is no doubt he was still a loving, devoted and caring husband to his wife."

Mr Workman, 83, was killed with a 12-bore shotgun on 7 January.

Police are trying to trace a male caller with a local accent who phoned for an ambulance some time after the killing.

999 call

It has been suggested from the outset of the investigation, which has taken officers as far afield as Australia, that Mr Workman's murder was a result of a long-standing grudge.

A 999 call was made from a phone box three miles from the village on the night of the murder by someone with a local accent

The caller referred to the victim's house as Hollyhock Cottage - a name not used for almost half a century - which led officers to believe that the call may have had connections with the past.

A £10,000 reward has been offered for information leading to the arrest of the killer.

Mr Workman, who was a widower, left £1m in his will, most of which went to relatives.