Death of oil boss brought up in Leicestershire 'not work-related'

The death of an oil executive, brought up in Leicestershire, who was gunned down in Belgium does not appear to be work-related, his employer has said.

Nicholas Mockford, 60, an executive for ExxonMobil, was gunned down as he left an Italian restaurant in a suburb of Brussels with his wife.

He was shot three times, once as he lay on he floor. He died on the way to hospital.

A spokeswoman for ExxonMobil said: “We were shocked by the tragic death of Nick Mockford, one of our employees a fortnight ago in Brussels. Mr Mockford was a department manager at our office close to Brussels, but we have no indication that the incident was work-related.”

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Witnesses say they saw Mr Mockford and his wife walk across the street to their car before shots were fired. Reports suggest two men were spotted running away from the scene, one holding a motorcycle helmet.

Mr Mockford’s wife, Mary, was left beaten and cradling her husband and shouting for help.

The shooting happened on October 14 but news about the attack has only emerged now because Belgian police imposed a news blackout, reports said.

The Daily Telegraph reported that police in Belgium were considering all possible motives for the shooting, including a carjacking, although Mr Mockford’s car was not stolen. No-one had been arrested and those responsible were still on the run.

Mr Mockford is understood to have worked for ExxonMobil since the 1970s and was head of marketing for interim technologies for ExxonMobil Chemicals, Europe, promoting new types of greener fuel.

Brought up in Leicestershire, he had moved abroad from Chichester some years ago, living in Belgium and Singapore. He was married to his Belgian wife for 15 years and has three grown-up children living in Britain from his first marriage, the Telegraph said.

A family member, who asked not to be named, told the newspaper they thought he had been killed in a professional hit, adding: “We are all confused about what has happened. Nick was a genuinely lovely, clean-cut, mild-mannered, family man.”