DAVID WARD was a high-flying hospital worker who had climbed his way up the professional ladder.

But in his private life police had to regularly visit his house after he had called them over trouble with flat-mate Travis Dehorney.

Colleagues at the John Peter Smith Hospital, in Fort Worth, have been devastated by the murder.

A spokesman said: "David was a great guy. Everyone here is missing him a lot."

Mr Ward was a registered nurse and had been at the hospital for 20 years, becoming a senior vice-president of operations.

His parents, Eric and Rita, live in Boxwood Drive, Feniscowles, and he also leaves brothers, Nigel and Michael. The family has been too upset to speak about the incident.

Mr Ward had previously named Travis Dehorney in two court orders and he is already facing an unrelated charge of bodily injury in connection with two attacks on Mr Ward. A court report says Dehorney held a knife to Mr Ward's throat and threatened to kill him.

"When Travis is high or drinking, his behaviour becomes very intimidating, threatening and coercive and I am afraid that he will continue his violent behaviour or carry out his threats," Mr Ward's statement said.

A protective order was granted in August, 1995 and Dehorney was forced to move out of the home or face jail. But Dehorney continued to turn up and in one incident, pulled Mr Ward's hair and took $80 from his wallet.

Dehorney, who was questioned about the killing, told an American TV news programme that he was upset to learn about the death.

Dehorney said Mr Ward had helped him get off drugs. "You couldn't ask for any better person," he said.

Dehorney now lives in San Francisco, where he has been working as a singer in theatre productions.

Before making the arrests, police had interviewed people known to Mr Ward in the past year.

One friend who had been due to drive him to the airport to catch his plane to Britain had also undergone a lie detector test.

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