THE family of young mum Gill Barter have spoken of their sorrow after the 27-year-old was found dead at her home in Market Lavington.

Family and friends of Miss Barter, who had a two-year-old daughter Megan, told of their shock at her death and say she will be sorely missed.

Miss Barter's common-law husband Darren Maslen, 28, with whom she lived at The Muddle, Market Lavington has been charged with her murder.

Ellen Barter, 19, one of her two sisters, said: "She was quiet with people she didn't know but let her hair down when she was among family and friends. She was very caring and would do anything for anybody.

"She never had a bad word to say about anybody.

"Her main interest was her family and she enjoyed nothing more than spending time with them, especially her daughter Megan."

Megan, the couple's only child, is being looked after by Miss Barter's widowed mother Margaret, Ellen and her other sister Sharon, 29, at the family home in Commercial Road. They are in discussion with Maslen's parents, Ted and Shirley, over Megan's future.

Miss Barter was born in Lincoln, where her father Alan, who died this year, was serving in the armed forces. When the family moved to Devizes, Gill attended St Peter's Primary School where former headteacher Brian James remembers her as a bright, cheerful lass, always with a smile.

From there she went to Devizes School where she met Darren Maslen. The couple began living together about five years ago when they moved to Rochelle Court, Market Lavington.

After Megan was born, they moved to a three-bedroom home next door to Darren's parents in The Muddle. They had been trying for some time to start a family and Megan's birth was the answer to their prayers.

"They were over the moon when Megan arrived. They had their arguments like everyone does, but they were a very happy couple," said Ellen.

Staff and management at Omitec Instrumentation Ltd on the Hopton Industrial Estate, where Miss Barter worked for seven years, said she was a lovely person and good friend.

She left Omitec when she was pregnant with Megan and had only recently returned to work, taking a job with Metabolics, a nutritional supplements company based at Eastcott.

Alison Astill-Smith, a director of Metabolics, said: "She was a lovely person who was always cheerful.

"It is such a shock to hear of her death. She will be sorely missed by all of us here."

A post mortem examination report said Miss Barter suffered pelvic and internal injuries and died from shock and blood loss.

Bodybuilder Darren Maslen was taken to Salisbury District Hospital after he suffered a fit shortly after being charged with the murder of his common law wife.

Maslen, 28, of The Muddle, Market Lavington, was remanded in custody by North Wiltshire magistrates in Chippenham on Friday to appear again tomorrow.

He is charged with the murder of Miss Barter at Market Lavington sometime between September 30 and October 3.