TO his family in his native Middlesbrough, Richard Mace was a devoted husband, happy with the deal life had dealt him.

A steady job, a new home and a marriage which had, in the main, been rock steady.

But Richard was facing up to the prospect of losing his wife Clare, who had announced a week before their deaths, that she was leaving him. Even so, there was no indication that their lives would end so suddenly.

While there may be no doubt in the eyes of the coroner how Richard and Clare Mace died early on Christmas Eve, another question remains painfully unanswered for the couple's families.

What made a man who was apparently so in love with his wife turn so violent, repeatedly stabbing her before turning the knife on himself?

Certainly, his parents, Richard and June, were stunned when word filtered through to them at their terraced house in the Berwick Hills estate on Christmas Eve about the tragedy which had occurred 150 miles away.

Instead of preparing Christmas lunch for Richard, due to visit his parents on Christmas Day, December 24 was spent identifying his body at a morgue in Lancashire.

The Mace family's planned Christmas celebrations were tragically spent mourning as friends who had planned to come round to pass on seasons greetings instead came to express sympathy.

The story made the headlines throughout Christmas Day on every TV station, and as several communities in East Lancashire grieved, so did people who had known Richard.

Mrs Mace said: "We don't think we'll ever know or understand why it all happened. We spoke to Richard so often on the phone and he never said anything to suggest something so wrong.

"We knew they had been arguing, but he'd never lifted a finger to her before. He loved her."

His mother added: "He phoned us every day and he would phone me on my mobile two or three times a day.

"He was devoted to his family and would look out for his younger brother Robert. He had so many friends around here.

"Everyone knew what a nice person he was, no one had a bad word to say about him and he was never, ever in trouble.

"They seemed to have a wonderful life and everyone who met them thought they were a loving couple."

One neighbour, who asked not to be named, said: "We all knew Richard and what a good lad he was. We thought they'd named the wrong person when we saw it on the news."

Richard was well-known throughout the estate, thanks in part to the fact he was educated in the area, but also because he had been a DJ at a local ice rink.

The local crematorium was packed for his funeral. One wreath was from Middlesbrough Football Club, the team he supported and the team which played Blackburn Rovers at Ewood two days after he died.

Father Richard said: "What happened was so out of character for Richard and we are left guessing what happened. Something must have snapped in his mind. We are all still shocked, and there is disbelief as well."

Richard, 26, met Burnley-born Clare, 23, in the army. He had joined the Royal Signals in 1997 at the age of 20. A picture of Richard in his army uniform had pride of place in the Mace's living room, while a picture of Richard and Clare hangs on the wall. It was taken on New Year's Eve 2002.

A year later and the smiling couple were to be found dead.

The couple married in 1998. Clare was just 18, and settled into their home in Clayton-le-Moors about a year before their deaths. Richard worked away from home as an asylum seeker support worker in Wrexham while Clare was based at Nelson police station.