STAFF at a Basingstoke car dealership are in mourning after a popular colleague was found murdered in her home.

Kirsty Wilson, 34, was the business development and customer relations manager for Tony Purslow Mercedes-Benz dealerships in Basingstoke, Guildford and Hindhead.

Ms Wilson had worked in Basingstoke for 10 years after joining Tony Purslow in Basingstoke as a graduate trainee in September 1998. In 2002, she joined the management team and began looking after the requirements of customers at the three dealerships.

Rory Davidson, Tony Purslow sales director, said: "Through her role, Kirsty became a popular and respected point of contact for our customers. She is, and will be, sadly missed by customers and colleagues alike."

The mother-of-two's body was found shortly after midnight on August 27 following a fire at her home in Greenmeads, Woking, which she shared with partner Alan Jermey, 40, and the couple's children, Alisha, aged eight, and two-year-old Poppy.

It is thought that Ms Wilson, who was formally identified by dental records last Friday, may have been dead for up to six hours before the fire started.

Mr Jermey, a car dealership manager, and the two children were rescued by firefighters after he called 999. They were taken to St Peter's Hospital, in Chertsey, and treated for smoke inhalation.

Mr Jermey was subsequently arrested by Surrey Police's Major Crime Investigation Team on suspicion of murder. He was charged with Ms Wilson's murder two days later and appeared at Woking magistrates court on Saturday, where he was remanded in custody.

He will next appear at the Old Bailey, in London, on Friday, October 24.