THE fiancée of a brave sub-postmaster's son shot dead in an armed robbery in Worcestershire has paid tribute to her "soulmate and best friend".

A £50,000 reward was last night offered by the Post Office to catch the killers of Craig Hodson-Walker, 29, who was blasted in the chest as a gang of men burst into Fairfield Post Office and Stores on Stourbridge Road on Friday morning.

His father Ken, 56, was shot in the leg and remains in a stable condition in hospital following surgery.

But Craig Hodson-Walker's fiancée Lisa Bundy said the shooting of her husband-to-be had destroyed her future.

"He didn't deserve to die like that,” she said. "I can't even start to describe the pain - it feels like someone has ripped out my insides. It just seems like a bad dream."

Ms Bundy and Craig Hodson-Walker met 10 years ago and became engaged at Christmas.

She said her fiancé as "wonderful", describing how both of them were perfectionists and shared the same sense of humour.

The teaching assistant, from Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, added: "We enjoyed socialising with friends, having time for ourselves and making plans for the future.

"Now I have had my future destroyed. Craig deserves for them to get caught because he didn't deserve to die like that."

The managing director of Post Office Ltd, Alan Cook, offered a £50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Mr Hodson-Walker's killers.

He said: "We are shocked and appalled at this dreadful attack and our thoughts are with the family and we are doing all we can to support them at this very difficult and sad time."

And Mr Hodson-Walker's mother, Judy Hodson-Walker, paid tribute to his "incredible bravery" and described the killing as a "callous act".

Mrs Hodson-Walker, 56, said her "beautiful son" had died trying to protect his parents and "the things he believed in".

She said his death had "devastated" the family, including his 27-year-old brother James.

In a statement released by police, Mrs Hodson-Walker described her son's killers as "thugs".

She said: "Someone somewhere knows something about who did this and they should come forward and help the police because those responsible don't deserve any kind of life as they have snuffed out my son's life in the most horrific way.

"Why did such a beautiful, honest, hard-working human being have his life taken away in that way?

"He didn't do anybody any harm and will be so greatly missed by each and everyone who knew him.

"I just don't understand why it happened like it did - it all just seems so senseless.

"The worst thing is the horror of the situation. If he had had an illness it would have been easier to cope with but you don't expect to get up on a Friday morning and half an hour later your son's dead and your life's destroyed."

Mr Hodson-Walker was a co-partner in the business, with his mother and father.

Mrs Hodson-Walker said: "Craig came down to protect us and fought for what he believed in - his family, friends and the business which he had worked so hard to help us build.

"I would just like to say that both my husband and myself are so proud of the way he led his life and defended us to the end - and how incredibly brave he was.

"I wouldn't wish this feeling on anyone or want them to go through this.

“Any mother, especially the mother of these thugs who did this, if they have any maternal instinct at all should stop and think how they would feel."

West Mercia police now believe four men were involved in the robbery - three were armed with a handgun and a sledgehammer and went into the store, while a fourth, the driver, waited with the silver Volkswagen Golf outside.

They fled the scene in the car, which was stolen from Solihull on New Year's Eve and had false number plates, at about 8.20am yesterday.

Detectives said it was likely they had been caught in rush-hour traffic near the post office and urged anyone who saw the getaway vehicle to contact them.

Anyone with information should contact police on 0300 333 3000 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555