'I thought we'd be together forever'

The widow of a sports shop manager knifed to death in a raid could not contain her grief today as she said: "I thought I would be with him forever." Secretary Alex Maxwell-Clarke, 28, wept as she described husband Carlton, 36, as "such a nice man". She said the two robbers who attacked and killed him had "ruined my life".

Mrs Maxwell-Clarke said their 19-month-old son Warwick was too young to understand what had happened. "Nobody can believe it should happen to the best father in the world and the best husband in the world," she said.

Shaking her head, she added: "It is so hard to explain and I really can't find the words."

Of the two men who burst into the JJB sports shop in Beckton, east London, on Friday, she said: "I just hope now they get caught." Mr Maxwell-Clarke spoke to his wife shortly before he was due to leave for home on the night of the raid. He was concerned about their son who had not been well.

Mr Maxwell-Clarke, from Barking, Essex, was locking up when the robbers struck. He was knifed three times in the heart by two Asian men as he tried to stop the robbery.

A 20-year-old female shop assistant was frog-marched with a knife pressed to her neck in an effort to make her open the safe.

Officers today revealed that shopping vouchers stolen in the raid could be the key to solving the murder.

More than £4,000 in cash and thousands of pounds in vouchers were stolen from the store.

Police revealed that £150 of the tokens were spent at another JJB sports store in Ilford on Sunday afternoon.

A customer, described as a black male, bought goods at the store and police are appealing for him to come forward.

Two men fitting the description of the killers were seen burning evidence in the middle of a housing estate the day after the robbery. Police were called to Sutton Park estate at Heston, west London, just off the A4 at 8am on Saturday.

The two men were spotted carrying a can of petrol. Officers believe the robbers tried to set fire to a sports bag containing vouchers from the shop and the keys to the premises.

The men, who were armed with guns and knives, are aged about 25 and escaped in a white Fiesta-type car.

A reward of £60,000 has been offered to catch them. Detective Inspector Ron Scott said: "Police will be unable to catch these people without the help of the public. We are calling on the communities in east and west London to help bring these men to justice."

Mr Maxwell-Clarke had six brothers and two sisters. Miranda Allison, one of his sisters, said today: "We can't understand why anyone would do this. Carlton was the centre of the family who offered so much support and held the family together. I can't put into words how much he will be missed."

Police are examining CCTV footage near to the store but none was fitted inside. JJB Sports, which have 430 stores, refused to discuss why there were no CCTV cameras in the shop despite Mr Maxwell-Clarke's concerns about the lack of security.

Duncan Waller, a director of the company, said: "This is the first time an event like this has ever occurred in the history of JJB Sports and it is the worst incident that has happened. We want to help police as much as possible to catch the people who did this awful crime."

The assistant at the shop, who was punched in the face and had a knife held to her throat, is in a state of shock and is receiving counselling. Detectives are still waiting to interview her.

Officers said that when police arrived at the scene, Mr Maxwell-Clarke was lying motionless on the floor and could not be saved.

Anyone with information should contact the murder incident room at Hendon on 020 8358 1336 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.