Anne Bury shot dead at Turkish resort

  • Published
Crime scene in Turkey
Image caption,
The three were attacked at a villa in Dalyan, Turkey

A British woman has been killed and her son and mother injured in a shooting at the resort of Dalyan in Turkey.

The dead woman is thought to be from Northallerton, North Yorkshire. She was named locally as Anne Bury, 56.

The Foreign Office said it was aware of the death of a British national in Turkey on Monday.

A 46-year-old local man is understood to have appeared in court and has been detained in prison.

Ms Bury's son Alex, who lived with her and is in his early 20s, was also shot, as was her mother Cecilia Bury, in her 80s, from Middlesbrough.

According to reports, the family were shot while celebrating a birthday party at a villa in the resort on Turkey's south coast.

BBC reporter Jon Brain said the arrested man was understood to be the family's gardener.

He said there were unconfirmed reports there had been a "heated argument" between the gardener and the family in the days before the shooting.

Ms Bury is believed to have reported the argument to the Turkish police.

The Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism issued a statement confirming the fatal shooting and injuries.

It said: "The death of British citizen [Catherine] Anne Bury, and the wounding by shooting of her son Alexander Gerard Bury and mother Cecilia Bury, in Turkey's south-western town of Dalyan yesterday is currently being investigated by the relevant authorities.

"The chief suspect has been arrested and is currently under custody, while a full investigation is under way.

"Cecilia Bury has been discharged from hospital while Alexander Gerard Bury is in a stable condition there."

'Just unbelievable'

News of the shooting was greeted with shock by neighbours in the family's home village of Swainby on the edge of the North York Moors national park.

Next door neighbour Stephen Garbutt ,72, said Ms Bury was a good neighbour.

He said: "I never ever heard a bad word, or a cross word or anything like that from any of them.

"How on earth they got into this situation I cannot imagine.

"I have never known Anne, for want of a better word, in trouble."

He added: "For such a thing to happen in this day and age, well, it's just unbelievable."

Mr Garbutt said his neighbour, who trained as a midwife, had been working for an oil company in Dubai in a health role.

His wife Jennifer said: "They were a lovely family and this has broken my heart.

"It has knocked me for six."

Media caption,

Footage showed local police investigating at the scene

Ms Bury's son worked at a local hotel, the Cleveland Tontine, after taking a year out of university but was hoping to restart his studies in medicine.

The hotel's owners said Mr Bury was "a delightful young man" and "a joy to work with".

Mr Garbutt described Ms Bury's mother as "a real lady".

His wife also said: "Alex is very clever and wants to study to be a doctor.

"He is so polite and never said a harsh word to anybody, is always very helpful."

The couple said they remembered him going to Stokesley High School as a boy when the family moved in.

The Foreign Office said it was providing consular help to the family.

Related Internet Links

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.