Two men have been jailed for life with a minimum term of 34 years each for the murder of 61-year-old Guy Hedger, a director of pension and investment firm LV= who was shot dead by intruders in a bungled burglary.

Mr Hedger, 61, was killed in a burglary raid at his home in Dorset in the early hours of Sunday 30 April 2017. Jewellery and expensive watches were among stolen goods worth over £120,000 with some stolen watches found dumped in Bournemouth.

At the trial at at Winchester Crown Court, the jury was told that Mr Hedger and his husband were woken in their bedroom by two burglars wearing balaclavas and carrying a sawn-off shotgun. Mr Hedger was shot in the chest after his husband, Simon-Pierre Hedger-Cooper, hit a panic button. After being hit, Mr Hedger was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead soon after.

Jason Baccus, 42, of Bournemouth, and Kevin Downton, 40, of Winterborne Stickland, were convicted unanimously after a two-month trial. They were also found guilty of aggravated burglary, possessing a firearm and burglary. Both were sentenced to life in prision with a minimum term of 34 years each.

A jury found Scott Keeping, 44, also from Bournemouth, not guilty of murder and other charges. Mr Keeping’s wife Helen Keeping, aged 40, was found not guilty of two charges of assisting an offender.

Mr Hedger was marketing and branding director at LV= and played a leading role in the rebranding of the business as LV= in early 2007.

The murder investigation was conducted by Dorset Police’s Major Crime Investigation Team. The police said at the time of the murder that they did not believe the perpetrators were known to Mr Hedger.

Following Mr Hedger’s death LV= described him as “…an extremely talented marketer, Guy was instrumental in building the LV= brand and he will be sorely missed by many.”

• Editor's Note: Story updated 23.01.18 to add sentences.