£25,000 gift may explain killer's rampage

Police are investigating the theory that Bird's murderous campaign was triggered by resentment over his inheritance, although his nieces have denied there was a family feud.

Bird's twin brother David, believed to be his first victim, received 25,000 from their late father Joe before the elderly man died in October 1998, aged 82.

Neither Bird nor his other brother Brian appear to have received anything and the rest of their father's wealth passed to their mother, Mary, who is now 90 and very frail.

Mr Bird drew up his will in November 1987, leaving everything to his wife unless she died before him, in which case his estate would be split equally between the three sons.

The will included special "hotchpotch" clauses stating David should receive 25,000 less than Bird and Brian to make up for the payment he had already received.

But the clauses were never applied because the entire estate went to Mrs Bird, and yesterday a legal expert said it was up to her to include in her own will terms that would see Mr Bird's wishes carried out.

Probate expert Elizabeth Young, a partner with Brethertons solicitors, said: "If everything went to the mother, those hotchpotch clauses had no effect.

"But there may well be hotchpotch clauses in her will. It's possible that mum also has a will in similar terms. That would be quite common for a couple.

"It is a private matter for her but it may be she had a copy of her will at home that somebody had seen or knew about."

The total wealth in Mr Bird's sole name at his death was less than 10,000, although this excluded property and bank accounts he shared with his wife.

Detectives are looking into claims that killer Bird, 52, had money problems and was being investigated by the Inland Revenue over a mystery 60,000 in his bank account.

Taxi driver Mark Cooper, who knew Bird for 15 years, remembered a conversation in which the gunman had spoken about his fears of going to prison.

Mr Cooper recalled: "He said, 'They have caught me with 60,000 in the bank, the tax people'. He just said, 'I'll go to jail'.

"He just asked me if he could handle jail. He didn't want to go."

Mr Cooper said he did not know how Bird got the money, but suggested Mrs Bird gave him "a couple of grand a month".

In 1990 Bird was given a 12-month suspended sentence and dismissed from his job as a joiner at the Sellafield nuclear plant after being convicted of stealing from his employer.

Cumbria Police confirmed that detectives were looking at Bird's finances and involvement with the Inland Revenue.

A force spokesman said: "It is an ongoing line of inquiry but there is no comment on that at this present moment."

HM Revenue and Customs said it would not comment on Bird's tax affairs.

The taxi driver appears to have been much less well off than his siblings, who both lived in Lamplugh, a pretty village on the Lake District's western edge.

David Bird lived in a large farmhouse and made money when he sold land to a developer, while Brian Bird lives in a big period detached house.

By contrast Derrick Bird lived in nearby Rowrah in a scruffy pebble-dashed mid-terrace house.

David's daughters, Rachel, 28, Tracey, 26, and Katie, 19, have

insisted, however, there was no feud between the twin brothers.

They described their father, who is believed to have worked as an excavator operator, as "the nicest man you could ever meet".