A MAN has been charged with murder after the death of Trowbridge-born grandfather Christopher Bonnick following a house fire.

The 55-year-old property developer, who was raised in the Studley Green area of Trowbridge by his mother along with eight siblings, was pulled by firefighters from a burning house in Derby Grove, Nottingham, which it is understood he rented out, at around 12.45pm on Sunday.

His family in Trowbridge were contacted by relatives and rushed to his bedside at the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham, but Mr Bonnick died later of his injuries.

A 56-year-old man, also of Derby Grove, has been charged with the murder of Mr Bonnick and has been remanded in custody until June 30.

Mr Bonnick’s heartbroken mother and siblings, who live in the Newtown area, said he was a genuine, loving person.

“He was a spiritual person who loved God and treated people with respect," they said.

“Christopher was robbed of his life – he was fit and strong and wasn't ready to die – and it’s devastating for us as a family that we will never see his loving face again.”

Mr Bonnick, a former pupil of Nelson Haden School in Trowbridge, now known as Clarendon, was a father-of-four, with three daughters and a son, and also had four grandchildren.

One of Mr Bonnick's brothers said that it was "horrible" finding out that the fire had might have been started deliberately and that a man had been charged with his murder. He said: "He was in the prime of his life and had his whole future ahead of him. He did not deserve this fate."

One of his daughters, who lives in Nottingham, said: “He had a great community spirit and he like helping everyone and anyone. He would give the shirt off his back and was very kind.

“He was well known because of his trademark dreadlocks and he would say hello to everybody. He was big family man and everything he did was for his children. He was a huge role model for all of us.

“His death was a huge shock and we still haven’t full taken it in. It still doesn’t feel real and the whole family is devastated as he was the heart and soul of our family.”

John York, from Frome, who went to school with Mr Bonnick and is good friends with the family, said: "We were next door neighbours when we grew up as kids and he was in the year below me at school. He was a lovely lad and I only saw him again last year for the first time in 35 years.

"He had an aura of calmness about him and it is awful that after working hard to make a success of himself it has all been wiped out in what appears to be a moment of complete madness. No one knows the exact ins and outs of what happened, but it is a tragic end for someone who achieved so much."