A police inspector on bail awaiting trial for the murder of his wife is suspected of killing his elderly mother-in-law before turning a gun on himself.

There were calls last night for an inquiry into how Garry Weddell, 45, a Metropolitan Police officer, whose body was discovered in woodland near a shooting club in Hertfordshire on Saturday, was granted bail after being charged with killing his wife.

When police officers arrived at the home of Traute Maxfield, Weddell’s mother-in-law, in nearby Gustard Wood to break the news that he had killed himself, they found Mrs Maxfield’s body.

It is believed that Weddell committed suicide after shooting dead Mrs Maxfield, 70, a regular attender of the local church, who was reportedly due to testify against him in the murder trial of her daughter, Sandra.

Mrs Weddell’s death on January 31 last year initially appeared to be a suicide, but a post-mortem examination found that she had been strangled.

Weddell, who had been married for 20 years, was initially treated as a witness, but was charged in June over the death of his 44-year-old wife, whose body was found with a cable tied around her neck in the garage of their home in Dunstable, Bedfordshire.

Weddell was placed in custody but he was granted bail when his brother, Geoffrey, who refused to comment yesterday, offered a surety of £200,000. Ipswich Crown Court was told that Weddell would live with his brother’s family in Horsell, Woking, Surrey. The bail application was opposed by the Crown Prosecution Service.

There were calls last night for an inquiry into why the courts had released Weddell. Mike Penning, Conservative MP for Hemel Hempstead, said it was also important to know if the police or family had objected to bail being granted. A Ministry for Justice spokesman said: “We will carefully monitor the outcome of the inquest and will respond to any recommendations in due course.” The Ministry denied newspaper reports that it would review its guidance to judges on granting bail.

Hertfordshire police confirmed that they had found Mr Weddell’s body near Broomhills Shooting Club in Markyate. They described Mrs Maxfield’s death as suspicious.

Two of Weddell’s three children were feared missing, but police later said that they were safe and well.

Initial investigations indicate that Weddell had gone to his mother-in-law’s £1 million home and killed her before driving to the gun club about ten miles away and committing suicide. He is thought to have used the same weapon to kill his mother-in-law and himself, although as part of his bail conditions his firearms licence had been revoked.

Police are trying to establish how Weddell obtained the weapon and whether it came from the shooting club. It emerged yesterday that he had attempted to kill himself while on remand.

Mrs Maxfield, who was Danish-born, had nursed her ill husband until his death last year. One neighbour said: “She had relatives in New Zealand and I know she had spoken about going out there at some point. She seemed to have come to terms with what had happened to Sandra.”

Weddell, who was in the Army before joining Bedfordshire Police, was due to stand trial in May.

At a hearing last June, Luton Magistrates’ Court was told that the marriage had been going through a difficult phase after Weddell dis- covered that his wife had been having an affair.

A Hertfordshire police spokesman said that no one else was being sought in connection with the deaths.

Weddell had been visiting his children — aged 12, 10 and 8 — every week since he was granted bail. Suzanne Locks, 72, a friend of the victim, said that the children were being cared for by Mrs Maxfield’s two sons.

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