Tributes were today paid to murder victim Jean Dicker.

Former Colchester mayor Martin Hunt told how he helped out the family when one of them had an accommodation problem.

"At that time, she lived in Magazine Farm Way and I got to know her and her husband. She was a very nice woman.

"I was a ward councillor for Prettygate for 16 years before I lost my seat and it was early on when I came in contact with them," he said.

Mr Hunt also told how his wife, Rita, was a special constable and also knew Mrs Dicker, who was a traffic warden in Colchester until she retired 1996. Along with her husband and son, Steve, she moved to Clacton two years ago.

Mr Hunt said: "What I remember about her most was that that she was suffering from breast cancer a while back and her husband called an ambulance for her," he added.

"It was polling day and she insisted that the ambulance stopped at the polling station on the way so that she could vote for me for the help I had given the family. I do happen to know that she did vote for me on that day and that was the type of person she was.

Published Friday, January 31, 2003

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