THE international footballer who owns the house in which Bill Pyle met his violent death spoke of his horror on discovering that a killing had been committed in his property.

Bradford City goalkeeper Aidan Davison grew up in the village and rented out the property to the popular pensioner - but was stunned when the news was broken to him.

He said: "Never in your wildest dreams do you expect anything like that to happen. It is very worrying because you don't know what went on.

"I know what it's like growing up in Close House. It is a little bit rough at times, but at the same time you don't expect that."

The 33-year-old First Division player, capped three times by Northern Ireland, lived in the village for most of his life.

But he has only just returned to the house left severely damaged by the fire, in November, which followed the death.

He said: "Bill's possessions are still in there and I don't know what the situation is with the family. I don't want to get involved with that. I am leaving that to the police."

He hopes to refurbish the house in a couple of months and let it out again.

"I am sure it will be nice for somebody to move into, but I am just looking at the options at the moment."

He said he used to see Mr Pyle when he visited his grandmother, who lived opposite, but he had never met his tenant's daughter, Ann-Marie.

He said: "He would pop in for a drink and a chat and I used to spend a bit of time with him.

"He was a lovely fella, from what I knew of him, and he was well-liked in the village."

He said the community had been stunned by what had happened.

He said: "I would hope to think that it'll bring people closer regarding anything in the future.

"Until the court case is completed I don't really know what to think. I ask questions but don't know the answers. I am really curious to find out what was going through her mind at the time."