Ref. 30092-9THE love and support of friends has helped the family of former Swindon police officer Milroy Clarke come to terms with his brutal murder, says his daughter.

Mother-of-three Sarah Leyfield, 38, of Wootton Bassett, said friends had been an emotional crutch for the family over the past few weeks.

She said: "I would like to thank all the people who have kept me going.

"The family is getting there but it's going to take a while.

"It was a lovely funeral service with lots of kind words said about both dad and Joan."

The bodies of Mr Clarke, 70, and his wife Joan, 55, were discovered at their Melksham home last month.

Both had died from multiple stab wounds.

Last week, around 400 mourners gathered at Semington Crematorium near Melksham to pay their respects to the popular couple.

The couple's 20-year-old son, Michael, has been charged with their murder.

A tribute from him was read out at the service, in which he said he felt "blessed" to be their son. "My love for them will never fade," he wrote.

"Without them my life seem pointless, empty."

He appeared at Bristol Crown Court through a video link on December 21, but did not enter a plea.

The case was adjourned until February 25.

Mr Clarke spent most of his police career in Devizes, but worked at Swindon CID during the 1970s.

He adored the profession, but was eventually forced to leave the police on medical grounds.

But keen to maintain a role in public service, he joined the traffic attendant unit with Kennet and Avon District Council.

He was known for his easygoing, friendly character, and colleagues remembered as 'affable and very professional.'

Mrs Leyfield is Milroy Clarke's daughter from an earlier marriage.

Tamash Lal