Woman found in front garden so severely beaten 'police initially thought she'd been shot'

A man has been held in police custody in connection with the 50-year-old's death

Police officers discovered the body of the woman at a residential address in Walton Road, West Molesey (Image taken from Google Earth)

A 52-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a woman found battered to death in her front garden.

The body of Robyn Mercer, a respected antiques dealer, was so severely beaten police initially thought she had been shot, neighbours have claimed.

The 50-year-old’s body was found by a neighbour lying face down just metres from her home in West Molesey, Surrey at 8am on Monday morning - it is believed she may have been lying there all night.

Emergency services, including an air ambulance crew, soon arrived but they were unable to revive her.

A spokesman for Surrey Police confirmed they were treating her death as murder and had arrested a man believed to be known to her.

He said: "A murder investigation has been launched following the death of a woman in West Molesey.

"Officers discovered the body of a 50-year-old woman at a residential address in Walton Road just after 8am this morning.

"The investigation is still in the early stages. A 52-year-old man from West Molesey has been arrested on suspicion of murder and is currently in police custody."

A team of forensic investigators cordoned off the green area outside the row of houses as they searched the house for clues.

The Mirror reports Ms Mercer was a partner in the renowned antiques dealer J.H. Bourdon-Smith which is based in central London.

The Surrey coroner has been informed of a suspicious death and a post-mortem examination is expected to take place within a few days.