Police appeal over grandmother beaten to death

British detectives investigating the unsolved murder of a grandmother who was bludgeoned to death a year ago have asked all men who visit, work, or live in the area to voluntarily attend DNA screening sessions.

Artist Valerie Graves, 55, is believed to have been murdered with a claw hammer in a ground floor bedroom in Smugglers Lane, Bosham, near Chichester, West Sussex, on December 30 last year.

The culprit has not been caught despite a large investigation.

Graves was killed as she house-sat with her sister Jan, mother Eileen, and her sister’s partner, Nigel Acres, while the property’s owners holidayed abroad over Christmas.

More than 9,500 people have been interviewed by police, a £20,000 reward has been offered, and a BBC Crimewatch appeal has been made. The result was that a limited DNA match of a suspect was yielded.

Police returned to Bosham yesterday to speak to residents and visitors in an attempt to force a breakthrough.

Officers handed out leaflets and put up posters asking “all men aged over 17 who live, work or visit Bosham to help police find Valerie’s killer by providing a simple DNA mouth swab and thumbprint” to “enable police to eliminate as many men as possible from the inquiry”.