SOLDIERS based at Tidworth have been shocked to learn of the death of PE instructor Bombardier Glen Hudson, who was shot in the head in a nightclub.

Police believe 35-year-old Bombardier Hudson, who is separated from his wife, was in the wrong place at the wrong time and was the innocent victim of an indiscriminate gunman.

They say about 2,000 people were in Bournemouth's Elements nightclub in the early hours of Friday morning when a gunman walked across the packed dance floor in the club's VIP section, drew out a black handgun and shot Bombardier Hudson in the head at point blank range.

The soldier, a member of the 1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery at Tidworth, died shortly afterwards in hospital.

The soldier's commanding officer, Col Ken Abraham said: "Bombardier Hudson was a well known, hugely popular and easy going member of the regiment with a larger than life character."

He was described as a gentle giant who was supremely fit and skilled in a range of activities including martial arts, abseiling, boxing and life saving.

A spokesman for Dorset police said: "It appears that the victim was a completely innocent man and was uninvolved with the gunman."

He said they were doing everything possible to catch the gunman, who escaped before doormen could lock the club exits.