A director of pensions and investments firm LV= was killed at the weekend after intruders shot him.

Detectives are investigating the murder of 61-year-old Guy Hedger who was shot dead in Dorset.

Mr Hedger, who was marketing and branding director at LV=, was named as the victim on Sunday.

He reportedly played a leading role in the rebranding of the business as LV= in early 2007.

Dorset Police stated it received reports at 3.03am on Sunday that at least two intruders had entered a house in Castlewood and Mr Hedger had been shot.

Officers attended the address and he was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead soon after.

A murder investigation, conducted by Dorset Police’s Major Crime Investigation Team is underway. The police have said they do not believe the perpetrators were known to Mr Hedger.

Richard Rowney, chief executive of LV=, said: “It is with great sadness that I confirm that our friend and colleague Guy Hedger tragically died over the weekend.

“An extremely talented marketer, Guy was instrumental in building the LV= brand and he will be sorely missed by many. Our heartfelt condolences and sympathy are with his family and loved ones at this incredibly sad time.”

Detective Chief Inspector Sarah Derbyshire, of MCIT, said: “We are still trying to establish a motive for the intruders and why this particular address in Castlewood was targeted.

“We believe there was an element of preplanning involved. Therefore we would urgently like to hear from anyone, who may have seen people or vehicles acting suspiciously in the area directly before or during the days leading up to the incident. This may have involved people in the area in general or paying particular attention to the specific house. Any small detail may help us with our investigation.

"Currently we do not believe the offenders were known to the victim, however we continue to investigate all lines of enquiry.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Dorset Police at www.dorset.police.uk, via email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by calling 101, quoting incident number 30:53. Alternatively contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 or via www.crimestoppers-uk.org.