Shockwaves rippled through the West Country forecourt trade in November as news emerged of a double shooting at a filling station in Cornwall.

The incident near Wadebridge on the main Barnstaple to Falmouth road left garage proprietors Graham and Carol Fisher fatally injured with gunshot wounds.

Police were called to the garage after a bus driver spotted a woman lying near the forecourt. Once on the scene, they also discovered Carol’s body inside the couple’s bungalow next to the garage premises. Carol had apparently been trying to flee when she was gunned down outside.

The middle-aged couple had operated Perch Garage on the A39 road since the 1980s, with Carol managing the forecourt shop while her husband looked after vehicle servicing and repairs. They were described as a quiet pair by local residents, who were appalled at such a violent incident occurring in a low-crime rural area.

Having eliminated the possibility that one of the shootings was a suicide, Cornwall Police concluded that the killings had been carried out by one or more very dangerous unknown individuals.

They added that a motive for the murders and details of the method of entry to the premises had not been established and appealed for witnesses or any information about the incident.