Couple ‘killed in revenge attack’

A COUPLE gunned down in their seaside bungalow may have been the victims of a revenge attack for another killing.

The pair, believed to be in their 50s, were related to jailed killer Michael O’Brien, according to police sources.

O’Brien was convicted of shooting dead a man outside a Nottingham pub in 2003 in a case of mistaken identity. Seemingly uncaring, he went on to threaten the victim’s family in court.

The murdered man and woman, who have not been named, were apparently targeted after they fled the Nottingham area to start a new life in the quiet Lincolnshire village of Trusthorpe, said the sources.

A Lincolnshire Police spokesman said the couple were not under witness protection but would not confirm whether they were known to police.

The two bodies were found at around 9.30pm on Sunday in the semi-detached bungalow on the Radio St Peters estate in the village near Mablethorpe.

It is believed their young grandchildren had left their home just a day earlier following a short visit during the summer holidays.

O’Brien, 23, was jailed for life last month after shooting dead Marvyn Bradshaw outside a pub in Top Valley, Nottingham.

As he jailed, with a recommendation to serve at least 24 years behind bars, he mocked his victim’s parents, yelling across court: “Your son looked like a doughnut with a big hole in his head...and I don’t care.”