Brave pensioner 'frightened to death' by shotgun-armed raiders at his £1m riverside cottage

An elderly man may have been frightened to death after being attacked by armed intruders in his £1million home, it emerged.

Richard Atherton, 85, died 48 hours after two men threatened him, his wife Catherine and their grown-up son with a shotgun.

An initial post-mortem examination suggested he died of natural causes, but police have now asked for further tests to establish if his death was linked to the shock of the aggravated burglary.

The isolated cottage of Richard Atherton in Cookham Dean, Berks: Armed burglars robbed the house, assaulting Mr Atherton

The pensioner had tried to stop the raiders  -  who kept their faces covered  -  as they grabbed valuables from their cottage on the banks of the Thames in Cookham Dean, Berkshire, where the couple had lived for more than 25 years.

One of the burglars assaulted Mr Atherton, before the pair fled in a getaway car with just two wallets containing some cash.

Paramedics treated Mr Atherton for cuts and bruises but did not take him to hospital following the incident last Tuesday night.

But two days later, he fell ill and was admitted to