Mum-of-five Lea Brooke died in her Sandal home.

At a press conference at Sandal Grange Farm, the scene of the fire, Det Spt Dave Pervin, who is heading the investigation said: "Some one has put accelerant through the letterbox. That accelerant has then been ignited and an horrific fire has then followed."

Fire crews were called to The Coachhouse at Sandal Grange Farm, Walton Lane, Wakefield at around 1.30am last Monday. The huge blaze gutted the building and it took dozens of firefighters to bring under control.
They found Mrs Brooke's body in the house.

Det Spt Pervin said the house had been the base for the construction firm of her youngest son Howard, 45.

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Det Spt Pervin said: "He had an office here. It is possible that Howard could have been the target.

"It is possible that whoever was involved in this might have suffered burns to their hands or may have smelled of accelerants. I would ask anyone with any information to look within themselves and think if anyone they know may have been acting differently since this fire."

Mrs Brooke, originally from Belgium, settled in Wakefield almost 60 years ago after meeting her late husband Lindsay during the Second World War. She had five adult children and 12 grandchildren.

Det Spt Pervin said the family were devastated by Mrs Brooke's death and at a loss to understand why anyone would target her.

He urged anyone with any information to contact police on 0845 6060606.