‘Murdered’ in his own home by dognappers

Family struggling to come to terms with his death A dog owner was allegedly murdered in his own home by thieves who were targeting his beloved pet labradoodle. Police found the body of Donald Patience shortly after they were called to reports of Layla being dognapped. Three men have since been arrested on suspicion of the 45-year-old’s murder. Two of them, aged 27 and 41, were released pending further investigations while a third, 39, remains in custody. Tributes were paid to Mr Patience, known as Prentice, yesterday. His ex-wife Kirsty posted: ‘This breaks my heart to have to write this. As a lot of you may have already seen, this week we lost an extremely incredible man.” ‘We are all truly heartbroken at this news, and we are all struggling to come to terms with his death.’ She added: ‘Despite what happened between us, Prentice was an amazing father and adored his children.’ Another heartbroken relative said their family had been left devastated by Mr Patience’s death. Police now treating the event as a murder inquiry A post on social media said: ‘Please, if you know or have seen anything, please contact the police. Heartbreaking news for my family this week. You didn’t deserve to have your life taken in this way. Fly high Prent xx.’ Police had been called to a property in Radcliffe, in Bury, Greater Manchester, at around 10.30am on Tuesday when a passerby raised the alarm. One of the suspected dog thieves took the stolen labradoodle to a grooming salon ‘for a haircut’ after the owner was killed, it has now been claimed. The salon was said to be just 160 feet away from the scene of the crime. The dog was later recovered by police and is now being looked after by officials. Labradoodle puppies – a cross between a labrador and a poodle – can cost up to £3,000 and are one of the most popular new breeds of dog. Greater Manchester Police said yesterday that they believed it was a targeted attack. Doggnapping has been on the rise SUBSCRIBE Invalid email We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info On Friday, the house remained cordoned off and forensic officers were seen coming in and out of the building. The back window of the house was smashed and blue tarpaulin could be seen in the back yard. Several bouquets of flowers and a sympathy card had been left at the scene. It is understood police managed to retrieve the stolen dog after she was taken to the grooming parlour just yards from the victim’s house. Mick Hewitson, 58, who runs The Dog Shop, said a man had called in at around 10am on Tuesday asking him to cut his boss’s dog’s hair. He said: ‘I had only just opened up and this young man came in and asked me if I would do his dog for him, cut his hair. ‘The dog was an off-white labradoodle. I’d never seen the man before but he seemed calm. ‘He told me his boss had gone to Scotland and he wanted to get the dog’s hair cut while he was away.’ Mr Hewitson said he refused because he had an injured shoulder and too much work on. He added: ‘Half an hour later the police had rushed round, and that same man was arrested. ‘The police had hold of the same labradoodle.’ Mr Hewitson later told the Daily Express he did not know the victim nor his dog and had never trimmed its hair. One resident, who did not want to be named, yesterday said: ‘I was coming out of my house in the morning and there were police all over the road. Trending There was a man, about 6ft, who had been arrested, and a curly dog. They were in the back of a police van.’ Neighbours described Mr Patience, who had three children, as a ‘quiet man who kept himself to himself’. A keen football fan, he was once pictured with the Premier League trophy following Manchester City’s title triumph. It was also claimed that his home may have been ­targeted before. Neighbour Catherine Roberts, 65, said: ‘About 12 months ago we had a letter put through the door asking if we had seen anyone go in his house, so I think he’d been ­burgled before. ‘In fact, I’ve never seen anyone go in or out of his house, not even him. I think he moved in two or three years ago. But one of my ­family had seen him walking his dog and said he was a very nice man, a quiet gentleman who kept himself to himself. It’s disgusting what has gone on.’ Detective Chief Inspector Rachel Smith, of GMP’s Major Incident Team, described it as an ‘extremely distressing time’ for Mr Patience’s family and said they were doing all they could to find out what happened.