A man who worked with murder victim Peter Wrighton says his former boss was 'calm, respected and liked'.

Former British Telecom engineer, Mr Vincent Hawtin from Edgeware was a colleague of Peter Wrighton's from 1975 until 1990.

He first heard of the death of his former boss on the BBC news and was deeply shocked and saddened by it.

The 75-year-old said: 'I hadn't seen him for ages but when I saw a photo of him on the news I thought I know this man, and then they said his name.

'Because of his nature it was incomprehensible that he had had any conflict with anyone - he was just one of those persons you get on with.

'He was snatched away and he didn't deserve what happened to him - Banham is a rural area and Peter was doing charity work.'

The former BT engineer told how Mr Wrighton had helped him at a time of difficulty when he was suffering from depression.

He said his former boss has been very accommodating and empathetic allowing him to go to doctor's appointments to get advice and support.

He described how his BT colleagues had commissioned a photo of Mr Wrighton's cat as a leaving present for their boss as everyone knew he loved animals.

'He was a gem to work for and to know - he was an animal lover who demonstrated care', Mr Hawtin said.

'He had worked with other BT groups before he came to us so he was well-known and liked by hundreds of others.

'We never saw him stressed - he was calm by nature and was competent and confident.

'As an engineer he was excellent and very well-respected - you couldn't fault him.

'People respected him as a boss and didn't take liberties - they gave back what he gave to them.'