An 81-year-old widow who was dragged outside her country mansion and burnt to death by machete-wielding thugs has been pictured.

Elderly Albertina 'Tina' Choules, was found lying dead on her front lawn at around 6.30am today.

She had made a desperate 999 call before the intruder dragged her out of her £2million home and set her ablaze.

Rona Hyde, a neighbour of Ms Choules, told the BBC: "We are devastated. She was a good person. Open and friendly"

Friends also paid tribute the pensioner, saying she was "a perfectionist who did everything with love".

She is also said to have loved the country life, lived with no electricity and grown her own food.

Tina Choules
Tina Choules did 'everything with love'
Police are investigating the horrific incident at the country mansion in Marlow, Bucks.

Ms Choules was killed at her sprawling property in Marlow Bottom, Buckinghamshire.

Officers found her body lying on the lawn outside the front of her rural home and immediately called for the fire brigade.

She is believed to have suffered severe injuries and died almost instantly.

Shocked neighbours described Ms Choules as "a lovely lady of the village who was liked by everyone".

The body of Ms Choules lying in her garden yesterday
Ms Choules was described as a "lovely lady with a kind soul"
An elderly widow who caught a burglar in her country home
Forensics officers at the scene

The widow had lived alone since her company director husband died of cancer 12 years ago.

Police who rushed to the house in the hamlet of five homes near Marlow are understood to have seen the male intruder.

The man, who is yet to be identified, allegedly attacked one of the officers with a machete before fleeing into nearby woodland.

A search was launched, with armed police and a helicopter rushing to the scene.

Shortly after, a 23-year-old man was spotted, surrounded and arrested in the woods, near a makeshift tent where it was believed he may have been living rough.

A spokesman for Thames Valley Police said today that a murder inquiry, led by Detective Chief Inspector Mike Lynch from the Major Crime Team, had been launched and a cordon had been thrown around all houses in Ragmans Lane, Little Marlow.

The scene outside the home of Albertina Choules
Shocked neighbours described Ms Choules as 'a lovely lady of the village who was liked by everyone'
A police officer was believed to have been attacked with a machete at the scene

The residents of the remaining four houses in the hamlet were awoken by uniformed police officers who told them not to leave their homes while the suspect was still at large.

They were later re-assured that a man had been arrested.

Ms Choules's alleged murder occurred just nine miles from the scene of the unsolved murder 21 years ago of Janet Brown, who is believed to have been killed in her home by intruders.

The nurse, from Radnage, Buckinghamshire, was found the next day by builders who arrived to carry out work.

Despite a fresh appeal to try to trace her killer last year, the case remains unsolved.

An elderly widow who caught a burglar in her country home
The 81-year-old dialled 999 before the intruder dragged her out of her home

A spokesman for the Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service confirmed that crews were sent to the house in Marlow Bottom after an emergency call from the police.

"We arrived at the scene but were not required to do anything in the end," added the spokesman.

A Home Office pathologist was called to Ms Choules's home and carried out an initial post mortem examination on her body at the scene.

Meanwhile, police started their investigation into the alleged murder.

The burglary suspect is believed to have sprinted into nearby woodland, where he allegedly tried to hide as officers called in reinforcements.

After being arrested, the man was taken to the cells at nearby police station where he was expected to be questioned later.

An elderly widow who caught a burglar in her country home
Officers found Ms Choules' body lying on the lawn outside the front of her rural home after receiving a 999 call

The fire brigade said that the incident was '99 per cent a police matter' and was not prepared to say what resources were sent to the scene or what the initial call received had said.

The crime scene - Hill Green Cottage - is set in large gardens and very isolated. Ms Choules was believed to have lived there for more than 20 years.

Her husband Michael, a company director, died in 2004.

Detective Superintendent Chris Ward, of the Major Crime Unit, said: "We are in the process of investigating the incident and a murder investigation has been launched.

An elderly widow who caught a burglar in her country home
Forensics officers at the scene

"We have also arrested a 23-year-old man in connection with this incident, and he has been taken into police custody.



The Thames Valley Police spokesman said: "We launched a murder investigation after a woman's body was found in Marlow. Officers were called to a property in Ragmans Lane just after 6.30am today.

"When officers arrived they were confronted by a man. He assaulted a police officer, who was taken to hospital and has since been discharged. A woman was found at the scene and she was sadly pronounced dead.

"Officers have put in place a scene watch at the property as well as at nearby woods. A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder. He is currently in police custody."

Residents of the nearby upmarket town of Marlow were quick to express their shock at hearing of the news of Ms Choules's death.

Carol Lutteman said: "Sadly it's the lady who lives in the woods, Tina. It is so very sad."

Another resident, Kerry Grant, said: "She was a lovely lady with such a kind soul. RIP X."

She added that she had seen as many as six police cars and three vans racing towards the crime scene at around 7.30am today.

The remote Ragmans Lane was completely cordoned off to traffic this morning, as a police helicopter was scrambled as part of the search for the murder suspect.

An elderly widow who caught a burglar in her country home
Resident Carol Lutteman descirbed the situation as "so very sad"

The single track road was eventually re-opened to traffic in the afternoon, but another narrow lane leading off to Mrs Choules' remote cottage was tonight still sealed off and under police surveillance as forensics examiners combed the area for clues.

A Harvester pub sits at the top of Ragmans Lane and staff were rocked by the heavy police presence that greeted them as they arrived this morning to start their shift.

One female member of staff said: "There were loads of police cars when I arrived, and a helicopter flying overhead.

"I didn't know anything about what had happened, but there was all this commotion when I arrived.

"Nobody has really said much about it - no one knows what's happened."

Deputy Commander for High Wycombe Local Policing Area, Chief Inspector Rebecca Mears said: "Members of the public will see an increased police presence in the area and a number of roads have been closed while we conduct our inquiries.

The scene outside the home of Albertina Choules


Shocked villagers said they awoke to see hamlet 'awash with police and the fire service'.

One said: "I left for the school run this morning and there was a fire engine and a police car blocking the road. I went down to Marlow Bottom and by the time I got back from the school run, there were lots of police cars, and ambulance and a black car.

"My husband rang me and told me somebody has been murdered. "There is a two-storey house and opposite that is a converted barn.

"When I heard about it I thought 'gosh that's terrible'. It is so remote here my husband worries about us being in the countryside.

"You don't expect this kind of thing around here because it is a lovely area. Marlow Bottom is a beautiful village so it is shocking."