THE son of a North Yorkshire woman shot dead in Turkey has described how he pleaded with the gunman to stop the attack.

Alex Bury, whose mother, Catherine Anne Bury, was killed on Monday morning, said he tried to reason with alleged gunman Veli Acar before he opened fire on Ms Bury, 56.

Mr Bury and his grandmother Cecilia Bury needed hospital treatment after being caught up in the shooting.

Speaking from his bed in Mugla University Hospital, Mr Bury, 24, told the Times he recognised the gunman as Acar, their gardener who was said to have been in a relationship with Ms Bury, known as Anne.

Acar had apparently threatened the family earlier that weekend but was later released by police and returned, armed, to the Bury villa in the resort of Dalyan at around 5am on Monday.

Mr Bury, who has a leg injury, said: "I tried to reason with him. I told him it didn't have to be this way.

"He lifted the gun to his shoulder and gestured for me to go through to my mother and grandmother's room.

"They had heard me talking and had locked themselves in the room."

Acar then gunned down Ms Bury as she cowered in the villa bathroom, it was reported.

The Turkish ministry of culture and tourism confirmed the death of Ms Bury, who lived in Swainby, near Northallerton, and said her son, Alex, remained in hospital. Ms Bury's mother, who is in her 80s, has been discharged after treatment.

Acar is said to have given himself up after the shooting and is due in court.