POLICE were this week hunting the killer of a former pupil of Durham High School for Girls.

Lorraine Turner, 37, was found dead with head injuries by her son Jordan, ten, and daughter, Jasmine, eight.

The children discovered their mother lying in a pool of blood at her home in Norwich on Saturday.

Detectives launched a murder inquiry on Monday after a Home Office pathologist established that she had died from head injuries.

Ms Turner grew up in Walker Lane, Newton Aycliffe, before leaving the North-East when she married Ian Jolly, a BBC TV producer, when she was in her early twenties.

Ms Turner kept in regular contact with her father, Peter Turner, who lived at the family home in Newton Aycliffe until his death in July 1999.

Up until her father's death she kept in contact with her uncle, David Turner.

Speaking at his home in Newton Aycliffe, Mr Turner said: "This has come as a great shock to the family. We do not know who would have wanted to do this to Lorraine."

Ms Turner, who lived alone with her children, trained to be a journalist at Darlington College of Technology.

She had two children with Steve Rocastle, a prison officer and brother of late England and Arsenal footballer David Rocastle.

Steve Rocastle issued a statement which said: "The children are being comforted by myself and my partner at home and we would hope that press and media will respect our privacy. I have had very little contact with Lorraine over the past two years and my main concern is obviously for the children."