[News] Update: Man charged with murder of millionaire hotelier Sir Richard Sutton

A 34-year-old man has been charged with the murder of millionaire hotelier Sir Richard Sutton.

Sir Richard Sutton, one of Britain’s richest men who owned a string of top hotels in London, was found stabbed to death at a property near Gillingham, Dorset, on Wednesday, April 7.

A woman named Anne Schreiber, 60, was seriously injured in the incident and airlifted to Southmead hospital in Bristol, where she remained in a critical condition.

A spokesman for Sir Richard Sutton Ltd named the woman as Anne Schreiber, his partner, and said she was “a hugely important part of Sir Richard’s life”, having cared for him for a “long period”, and wished her “a swift and full recovery”.

Thomas Schreiber, from the Gillingham area, has been charged with murder, attempted murder, and dangerous driving and is due before magistrates in Poole on Monday April 12.

DI Simon Huxter, of Dorset police’s major crime investigation team, said: “Our thoughts remain with the victims’ family and all of those affected by this terrible incident.

“Following a detailed investigation, we have consulted with the Crown Prosecution Service. As a result, Dorset police have been authorised to formally charge Thomas Schreiber with the murder of Sir Richard, attempted murder of the injured woman and dangerous driving.”

Sir Richard was described as an ‘old English gentry landowner’ who was worth an estimated £301million and was at number 435 on the Sunday Times Rich List.

Hiss company owns London hotels the Sheraton Grand Park Lane and the Athenaeum, plus three smaller venues. He had an extensive property and farming portfolio, including the 6,500-acre Benham Estate in West Berkshire and the Stainton Estate in Lincolnshire.

Sir Richard Sutton was head of the Sutton family, which owns land in Dorset, Berkshire, London and Lincolnshire, and Aberdeenshire.