'Three of the greatest to grace us'

A POLICE officer who lost his wife and two children in a house fire on Boxing Day has paid tribute to them as "three of the greatest humans to ever grace our presence".

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Tom Shearman attempted to rescue his family but was beaten back by the severity of the blaze that destroyed their home in Brimscombe, near Stroud, Gloucestershire.

His wife Fionnghuala Shearman, known as Nu, died alongside their children Eve, seven, and four-year-old Ohner, and the family's dog Hutch.

Mr Shearman, an officer with Gloucestershire Police, was taken to hospital for treatment but has since been discharged.

He paid tribute to his family on a GoFundMe appeal, which was launched on Sunday and has reached more than £300,000 in donations, in a post shared by police.

"I have stared at my keypad for what seems like an eternity waiting for the words to appear," he wrote.