A father, whose son was shot dead in Florida almost two decades ago, has offered to help the family of a man murdered in the same US state.

Gary Colley, a 34-year-old skilled mechanical engineer, of Wilsden, was gunned down at the roadside in Tallahassee in 1993.

His girlfriend Margaret Jagger, then 35, was also shot and injured in the bungled robbery when the couple parked up at a highway rest stop.

Mr Colley’s father, Terry Colley, has contacted police to offer his support to relatives of James Cooper.

Mr Cooper, 25, a tennis coach, of Warwickshire, was shot and killed, along with his friend James Kouzaris, in Sarasota, Florida, last month while on holiday with his family.

The university friends were murdered in the early hours of the morning in a deprived area of Sarasota, 12 miles from the island city where they were staying. A 16-year-old boy has been charged with their murders.

Hundreds of people turned out to pay their last respects to Mr Cooper at his funeral in his home village earlier this month.

Mr Colley, of Brighouse, who is now in his 70s, was moved to make his offer of help after seeing news reports of the men’s murders.

He said: “I may not be able to give any assistance, but it was the least I could do to offer. I have some idea, through my own experience, of what his family must be going through. If there is anything at all I can do to help them, I would like to do so.”

Warwickshire Police have passed Mr Colley’s details to the Coopers.

  • Read the full story in Tuesday's T&A