Royal dog breeder shot dead near Stanley Johnson's estate

A dog breeder who supplied spaniels to the rich and famous has been shot dead in Somerset near the rural estate of the prime minister’s father.

Debbie Zurick, 56, was found with severe injuries outside a cottage near the hamlet of Winsford, which is close to Stanley Johnson’s estate. Zurick’s husband, John, is believed to be in hospital with serious injuries.

Avon and Somerset police were called to Winsford by a member of the public at 2.30pm on Saturday. Firearms officers attended and CPR was performed on Zurick, but she was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said a second woman, treated as a key witness, was found uninjured nearby.

A further search located a 67-year-old man, who had also suffered serious injuries caused by a shotgun, in an outbuilding, police said.

Avon and Somerset police said the man, whose condition was described as critical but stable, was in custody but had been taken to a hospital in Devon for emergency treatment.

The force has referred itself to the police watchdog due to previous contact with those involved.

Det Supt Julie Mackay, of the major crime investigation team, said: “This is a very serious incident in which a woman has lost her life and we are deploying family liaison officers to support the next of kin.

“The scene remains cordoned off so further forensic inquiries and searches can take place over the next few days.”

Johnson expressed shock at Zurick’s death. He said: “Both I and my whole family are shocked, stunned and saddened by this tragic incident.

“We very much regret the passing of Mrs Zurick. She was a neighbour and she was much loved. She was honorary secretary of the Working Clumber Spaniel Society and was much loved for the work she did, in the society and in Exmoor and beyond.”

The Zuricks had been married for almost 30 years. They regularly attended game shoots and organised training days for spaniels and their owners at their home.

A friend of the couple, who asked not to be named, claimed the couple had separated.

A Facebook post from New Year’s Eve on Ms Zurick’s Facebook page reads: “I’m walking into 2020 with a clear heart and mind … Life is too short for pentup anger, holding of grudges and extra stress or pain … Make 2020 a year of positivity and a season of forgiveness.”

Boris Johnson is believed to visit the area occasionally and some local people presumed the police at the weekend signalled the prime minister was in the neighbourhood.

An image posted on Mr Zurick’s Facebook page in March 2016, captioned: “Boris meets Boris”, appears to show the prime minister with the dog that bears his name.

The Zuricks bred working clumber spaniels at Winsford and had several dogs of their own.

A post from Jane De Savary on Ms Zurick’s Facebook page said: “Darling Debbie you will be so missed so loved by all who knew you RIP.”

Mr Zurick previously told the Working Clumber Spaniel Society how he had trained a dog for Princess Anne.

Asked in a now-deleted question and answer section of the website about the most embarrassing thing his dog had ever done, Zurick replied: “Sparkle, who I trained for [Princess Anne], burying a pheasant rather than giving it to hand.

“Princess Anne left a message on the answerphone machine saying: ‘If I wanted an undertaker then I would have asked for one.’ She didn’t leave a name but Debbie knew the voice so I called her back in the morning and she was chuckling, telling me what had happened.

“She had sent Sparkle out, she had picked the bird beautifully, brought it halfway back, dug a hole and buried it.”

A postmortem has been carried out on Ms Zurick and the cause of death has been confirmed as shotgun injuries.